Survival
by misteeirene
Summary: Will Harry be able to survive the zombie apocalypse? Who will help him? Slash, abuse, gore, Harry/Daryl
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Harry Potter or The Walking Dead

I have no idea where I'm going with this fic. After watching all seasons of The Walking Dead, my muse wouldn't leave me alone. As much as I didn't want another fic to worry about, I had to get this written down so my muse would let me continue on with my other fics. This fic won't be a priority so updates will be sporadic.

Please review and let me know what you think.

***HP

"Dammit," Harry cursed landing hard on his hands and knees. Groaning, he rolled over and sat on his butt, inspecting his scraped up and bloody palms. Wiping the sweat from his face with the back of his hand, he got up and continued walking. He had been walking these woods for four hours, sweating and completely lost. He knew that there was no hope of his relatives sending out a search party so it was entirely up to him to find his way back to the cabin.

So maybe it hadn't been the smartest idea wondering off alone in the woods in an unknown town and country, but he had been left alone again in their cabin and he was bored. He had only planned on walking around for an hour then getting back and preparing dinner. He was so going to get it when his family returned and there was no dinner waiting for them on the table. They had gone sightseeing, and just like back at home in England, they had left him a list of chores as long as his arm.

Looking up at the darkening sky, Harry tried to convince himself that he wasn't scared. If he would have had his wand he could have used a simple point me spell, but his uncle had not only locked it up when he returned home from school for the summer, but he made him leave it behind in Surrey. Now here he was, lost in the woods and swamps of Georgia praying that he didn't meet a hungry alligator.

Stopping, he rested his back against a large tree. He was not only exhausted from his journey through the woods, but he hadn't had a proper meal since he had left Hogwarts. He was shocked when two days into his summer vacation his uncle had packed them up and boarded a plane for America. It seemed that he had won a contest at work, a month in America... Georgia to be exact. Dudley wasn't happy about going to Georgia, but uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia had promised him a week at Disney World when their time in Georgia was up. He loved the beautiful cabin that they were in that was surrounded by woods, but aunt Petunia hated it. She wanted to pampered in a five star hotel complete with room service and a masseuse, but he loved the rustic cabin and all it's wildlife. He would have loved to have gone sightseeing, but his family despised him and only brought him along in the first place because they couldn't find anyone that would take him in for a month and uncle Vernon was scared that he would destroy their house.

Harry wasn't complaining though, he loved it here in Georgia. Granted all he had seen since leaving the airport was the cabin and the woods, but they strangely felt like home to him. Here he was far away from the pressure and expectations of the wizarding world. Here he could just be Harry and not The-Boy-Who-Lived. He was happy for the chance to get away for a while before he had to return to the wizarding world and be their savior once again. He knew that despite him defeating Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic and saving his godfather, that they would never leave him alone. They were always going to want something from him, or love him one minute then call him the next dark lord the next minute. If he could, he would just stay here.

Harry chuckled to himself, if he couldn't find his way out of these woods, he wouldn't have to worry about returning to the wizarding world. He would greatly miss his godfathers, Sirius and Remus, though he was a little upset with them for allowing him to be sent back to the Dursley's after the ministry incident. He understood that they had a lot to do with getting Sirius' name cleared and Grimmauld Place livable, but it wasn't as if he was a toddler that needed constant supervision. They promised to pick him up on his sixteenth birthday, but he was still upset. He never told them exactly how his relatives treated him, but they knew that he wasn't happy there and that they hated him. He wasn't going to beg them to take him in, they either wanted him or they didn't. He had planned on leaving the wizarding world anyway right after graduation. He planned on making a new life for himself one where he could forget all the horrible things that he had done all in the name of the 'greater good'. Maybe he would return to Georgia and live in a small cabin in the woods.

Looking back up at the increasingly darkening sky, Harry pushed himself off of the tree and stepped out from behind it. If he couldn't find his way back soon, he was going to have to find shelter before it got dark. Taking a step forward, he fell to his knees with a cry when something whizzed past his face, painfully grazing his cheek.

"You fucking idiot!"

Pulling his hand away from his cheek, Harry cringed when he saw that it was covered in his blood. He didn't have time to wrap his head around what had just happened before a pair of hands were roughly hauling him up and slamming him against a tree.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Fingers painfully grabbed his chin and shoved his head roughly to the side. "Just a fucking scratch." Before he could say anything the mystery person let him go and he fell back to the ground. "Lucky I didn't put the arrow between your stupid eyes."

Groaning, Harry struggled to his feet just in time to see a man carrying a crossbow storm past him. "Wait," he called out, but the man kept walking. "Wait," he yelled again, tripping over a log and falling to the ground again. "I'm lost," he called brokenly, rolling onto his back and panting. Struggling back to his feet, he looked around for the man, but he was gone.

Sniffing back his tears, Harry tore a strip off of his shirt and pressed it to his cut cheek. He wasn't positive, but it seemed like the man's arrow had grazed his cheek. Walking to the small creek, Harry collapsed at the bank and dipped the bloodied cloth into the water then pressed it back to his bleeding cheek. For the first time he could ever remember, he just wanted to get back to his aunt and uncle. He was tired, starving, bruised, scratched up and now had a nasty, painful cut on his cheek. Then again, his uncle was only going to add to his aches and pains when he returned to the cabin.

"Are you trying to attract gators?"

Snapping his head up, Harry was relieved to see the man with the crossbow. "You shot me?" he accused.

"Could have been worse," the man grunted.

The man, probably in his early thirties, stood about five feet ten was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, tight dark jeans, had light brown hair that brushed the nape of his neck and fell into his eyes. He was very muscular with a strong face that was in need of a shaving. The man carried a crossbow on his shoulder and extra arrows on his back. Harry could tell that the man spent a lot of time in the woods from his dirty, scruffy appearance.

Getting to his feet, Harry swayed a little as his head spun. "I'm lost," he said again, praying that this mountain man would help him.

"No shit," the man grumbled, turning around and walking off.

"Wait!" Harry called, stumbling off after the man. "Can you please help me?"

The man didn't say anything, but he did slow down to let Harry catch up to him. "My name's Harry, Harry Potter," Harry said, holding his hand out for the man to shake. The man didn't answer him or shake his hand, just continued walking on.

Daryl subtly checked out the kid out of the corner of his eyes. The kid was way too thin, too pale and looked like he was about to collapse at any moment. He had raven hair that came to just below his shoulders, emerald green eyes and a strange lightning bolt scar on his forehead. It was hard to guess his age because the kid was so short and petite, but he guessed him to be around fourteen or fifteen years old...though he barely looked thirteen. The kid was obviously not from around here, not with that accent. He also looked poor, he was wearing handy down clothes that looked like they had belonged to a child ten times bigger than him.

He had almost died when the kid stepped out from behind the tree a half a second after he fired his arrow. If the kid would have taken just a tiny bit bigger of a step, then arrow would have went right through his temple, killing him almost instantly. He had never been more relieved then when he saw that the arrow had only grazed the boy's cheek. Yes the cut was nasty and could probably use a stitching, but at least he was still breathing. He was so pissed that he stormed off despite the boy calling out to him for help. He didn't get far before his conscience got the better of him and he turned back around to find the boy. He wasn't a nice person, quite the opposite actually, but he couldn't walk away knowing that there was a hurt and scared kid lost in the woods.

Harry had to practically jog to keep up with the strange man. The man didn't give his name or say anything and he was praying that he was helping him and not leading him off somewhere to kill him. "Yeah, I'm staying in a cabin with my relatives right at the edge of the woods. I'm sorry that I don't know the address or anything. My uncle won a trip, you see. Do... Do you know where it's at?"

Daryl grunted and continued walking. He knew exactly where the cabin was, he had spotted the largest man that he had ever seen walking out of it yesterday morning.

Harry tried to keep up with the stranger, but after an hour of brisk walking, he was severely lagging behind. He had only had a half of ham sandwich and some stolen bacon in the last four days. His hands were trembling uncontrollably, he felt sick to his stomach and he knew that he was close to passing out. He was thankful that it was now dark and the man couldn't see his condition.

Daryl knew that the boy wasn't going to make it another half a mile without food and rest. He honestly didn't know how he kid had made it this far. The cabin was at least another two miles away and there was no way that the kid was going to make it. Spotting clearing, he placed his bow against a tree and started making a fire.

"What's going on?" Harry asked when he finally caught up. The man had started a fire and was laying out a dead squirrel and rabbit on a large rock.

"Rest," Daryl grumbled. Taking a large knife, he started skinning and gutting his kill. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to feed the small boy and give him the strength to make it home.

Gratefully, Harry collapsed next to the fire and rested his head against a tree. He was almost asleep when he felt someone kick his foot. Moaning, he opened up his eyes and saw the man standing over him holding out a cup. With a tired smile, he took the offered beverage and brought it to his nose for a sniff. He was relieved to find that it was coffee...strong, hot and black coffee.

"Thank you," Harry said softly, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a careful sip. This was the first beverage, other than water, that he has had since the flight attendant brought him a coke despite his uncle telling her that he didn't need one. Normally he had to sneak water out of the bathroom sink.

Retaking his seat across the fire, Daryl watched as the boy's trembling hands held the cup of coffee. He liked that the boy wasn't constantly talking and asking questions. He hated people that talked a lot, he preferred the quiet.

Harry's stomach grumbled loudly when the smell of cooking meat hit his nose. Looking at the fire, he noticed that the rabbit and squirrel had been placed on sticks and were roasting over the flickering flames. The thought of eating squirrel turned his stomach a bit, but he was so hungry that he could easily eat the sticks that the animals were cooking on.

Daryl didn't miss how the boy was hungrily eyeing the food or how his stomach grumbled loudly. He wondered how long it had been since the boy was given a decent meal. He had a feeling that everything wasn't right with the boy's home life. The boy reminded him of himself at that age. His father had been an abusive drunk and he recognized the signs of abuse. Judging by the boy's uncle's size, they had more than enough money for food.

Harry couldn't hide the shock on his face when the man handed him a plate of meat. He didn't miss that his plate had considerably more meat than the man's. "I-I can't take this," he objected despite his stomach protesting rather loudly. "This is your food."

"Eat," Daryl mumbled, stuffing a piece of squirrel meat into his mouth. It made him uncomfortable to see a child so grateful over a piece of lousy squirrel meat.

Harry didn't need to be told twice, trying to remember his manners, he started stuffing the perfectly cooked meat into his mouth. The meat probably was disgusting, but he was so hungry, that it was the best tasting meat that he had ever eaten. It didn't take long before the plate was clean and he was licking and sucking the juices off of his fingers. He could have easily eaten five more squirrels, but he was more than happy with what the man had given him. It was the most food that he had eaten since school let out.

"I can't believe that I just ate squirrel," Harry chuckled, already feeling much better with food in his stomach. "Thank you so much," he said gratefully.

"Rest, we still have a few miles to go."

Nodding his head, Harry closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. He didn't understand why he felt comfortable around a stranger that he didn't even know the name of, but for some reason he did. His magic felt settled and calm around this man.

Daryl watched as the boy slept. He was only going to give him an hour or two before waking him and continuing on with their journey. He could tell by the dark circles under his eyes that the boy was exhausted. Hopefully after resting and having a full belly, the kid could make it the rest of the way without collapsing. With any luck he could make it back to his brother Merle before midnight. Merle may be a total bastard, but he did worry about him.

***HP

Harry laughed in relief when he looked through the tree line and spotted a light in the distance. "I never thought that I would be happy to see my relatives."

Daryl didn't say anything, just stood there next to the small boy looking off towards the cabin. He was surprised how much energy the boy had after just a little food and sleep. It was sad though, it meant that his body was use to sustaining off so little.

Harry turned back to the strange, quiet, hunter man. "Again, thank you. I would have never found my way back without your help."

Nodding his head, Daryl turned and headed back into the woods. Harry had only walked a few feet towards the cabin when the man's voice stopped him. "It's Daryl, Daryl Dixon," Daryl said without turning around or stopping.

Harry smiled at the man's retreating back. "Thank you, Daryl," he called before turning back around and heading towards the cabin. He knew that he wasn't going to get a happy reception from his uncle, but if he was lucky, he would get away with a quick belting and no broken bones.

***HP

Gripping the edge of the counter, Harry put the last of the breakfast dishes away. He knew that at least one of his lashes had reopened, he could feel blood trickling down his back.

"You better be here when we get back, boy," Vernon snarled spraying spit into his nephews face. "Dinner better be ready and waiting on the table or tonight's beating will make last nights look like child's play."

"Yes, uncle Vernon," Harry muttered softly. The last thing he wanted to do was anger his uncle even farther. The man had been so pissed last night that he had given him thirty lashes to his back. He was in so much pain, it felt like the skin was melting off of his back.

"No food and no using our showers. You're nothing but a filthy beast so you can use the stream to clean up in," Vernon snapped.

"Yes, uncle Vernon," Harry answered, eyes lowered in submission.

Glaring at his nephew in disgust, Vernon turned and headed out the door, slamming it so hard that the windows rattled.

Harry waited an hour after his family left before grabbing some clean clothes and heading down to the stream. He would have preferred to use the shower, but his uncle had a scary way of knowing when he used the shower, or stole the tiniest crumb of food. He knew that there was no way he could take another beating, not after last night. His uncle had torn his back to shreds, and it had taken him over an hour to clean up all the blood. He just had to make it to his birthday then he planned to never return to the Dursley's, and he didn't care what Dumbledore or anyone else had to say about it. He would be seventeen next year, an adult in the wizarding world's eyes.

Walking down to the small stream, Harry first looked around to make sure no one was around before attempting to gently pull off his shirt. He hissed in pain when the shirt pulled off some of the scabs, reopening the wounds. Normally he would have removed his shirt before falling asleep with a bloody back, but he didn't want to risk staining the nice, crisp, white sheets. Now his shirt was stuck to the scabs and the only way to get it off was to pull on it, tearing the scabs off in the process.

"Soak the shirt first."

Harry spun around so fast that he lost his balance and fell back into the water. Gasping and wiping the water from his eyes, he was surprised when he spotted Daryl standing on the bank with his crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"Squirrel hunting?" Harry asked struggling to get back to his feet. He was trying not to think about Daryl seeing his back. He knew that there was no way that the man didn't see how bloody and torn up it was.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Gotta eat."

Not knowing what to say or do, Harry just stood awkwardly in the knee deep water, soaked and dripping. Despite the hot and humid summer day, the water was freezing and he could feel himself start to shiver.

Daryl had a strong, uncontrollable urge to kill the boy's uncle. His father was an abusive bastard, but even he didn't leave his back as messed up as the boy's uncle left his. He didn't even know how the boy could still be standing, he must be in an incredible amount of pain. Walking to the edge of the bank, he held out his hand to the boy and waited.

Harry looked at the outstretched hand then up at Daryl's face. Daryl was a very hard person to read, he kept his facial expressions closed off and his eyes hidden behind his long bangs. There was something about Daryl though, something that made him feel safe and his magic purr. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and took Daryl's hand.

Daryl could tell that the boy didn't trust easily, and he could see the fear and weariness in his emerald eyes. Underneath the fear though, he could see the desperate aching to have someone help him, someone care for him. Daryl didn't know why he wanted to help the boy, he never cared much about helping others before, but there was something about the boy that drew him in. He couldn't stop thinking about the small boy all night, and that was why he found himself back at the cabin first thing this morning waiting to catch a glimpse of him.

Daryl gently closed his fingers around the much smaller hand and helped pull the kid out of the water. Without releasing the hand, he led him into the woods to where he had set up a small camp earlier that morning. "Sit and turn your back to me."

Trying to hide his shivering from both the cold and his fear, Harry did as Daryl ordered. He had never shown anyone his back, not even in the Quidditch locker room. He always waited to shower back in his dorm where they had separate shower stalls.

"Try to relax," Daryl said softly. Taking a pot of warm water that he had sitting by the fire, he carefully and slowly started to pour it over the boy's back, gently tugging the shirt lose as he went.

Harry tried not to tense, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't that Daryl was hurting him, he just wasn't use to someone helping him, someone touching him in a caring way. He could tell that Daryl was doing his best to not hurt him.

Daryl cringed as the full extent of the damage was revealed to him. The boy's entire back was a patchwork of old and new lash marks. Some of the deeper wounds were already getting infected. "I need to clean these," he said after he was finally able to remove the shirt. "I need to get more water."

Harry watched as Daryl made his way back to the stream to retrieve more water. Looking around the camp, his hungry stomach couldn't help but notice the four squirrels roasting over the fire. A day ago, if asked, he would have said that there was no way in hell that he would eat a squirrel, but now here he was drooling over the strange meat.

Harry gave Daryl a small smile when he retuned with the water and sat down beside him. "Thank you...again," he said nervously.

Grunting, Daryl pulled out a jar with what looked like weeds and dirt in it and placed a heaping full into a bowel, then he took some of the hot water and poured it over it. Taking a stick, he started mixing up the strange concoction.

Harry wrinkled up his nose in disgust. "That stuff reeks."

"Smells like shit," Daryl agreed, "but it will draw out the infection."

"You're going to put that smelly mud on my back?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Daryl didn't say anything, but one corner of his mouth tugged up in a small smile.

"Right," Harry said in disgust, leaning forward so he could get a better look at the nasty goop. After years of potion classes he knew that certain plants and herbs could heal wounds, but that didn't mean that he was eager to put goo on his open wounds that looked and smelled like something dead.

"It won't hurt," Daryl reassured, moving behind the boy. "Just relax."

Harry buried his face in his knees and tried not to gag as Daryl smeared the goop all over his back. The smell was truly putrid, but he could feel the nasty concoction taking the burn and sting away.

"Wait until it's dry before putting a shirt on," Daryl advised. "You can wash it off tonight, and as long as there are no signs of infection, you won't need a second application."

After he washed his hands, Daryl grabbed the squirrels and handed two to the boy. He was disgusted how he could clearly see every rib, hell every bone, sticking out from the boy. Food was something his abusive and alcoholic father never withheld from them. There were times when they didn't have enough, but there was always something in the kitchen to eat.

Harry gratefully took the meat and started eating it. He wasn't able to sneak any food this morning, not under uncle Vernon's watchful eye, so he was starving. "Squirrel, who knew?" Harry giggled, deciding that squirrel actually tasted pretty damn good.

For the first time since meeting him, Daryl laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

Ok, only gave this a quick read through, but it's cold and snowing, and that makes me VERY miserable,,lol. Really, I hate anything below 74 degrees. It may not be wise to pick apart this chapter, I may grab hubbies crossbow and hunt you down!

Thank you everyone who showed interest in this fic, I know it's a bit different. Part of this should probably be edited and posted only on AO3, but I'm taking my chances,,lol.

Please check out my note at the end.. Also, come find me on Facebook at Potter Obsessed.

Please, please review. Yes, I'm shamelessly begging.

***HP

"You know, this is kind of heavy," Harry grimaced, holding the crossbow out in front of him, ignoring the sweat dripping down his temple.

Deeply chuckling, Daryl reached around the much smaller male from behind and gently placed his hands under his trembling ones. "It's not heavy, you're just puny," he whispered into his ear. "Now, spot your target, then pull the trigger."

Biting his bottom lip, Harry tried to ignore how Daryl was pressed against his back and how he could feel his breath tickling his ear. In the past three weeks that he had been hanging out with the hunter, he had developed strong feelings for the quiet man. He had known for the past two years that he was gay. It was kind of obvious when he got his first ever erection when he walked in on Fred and George Weasley going at in the the Quidditch locker room. That was also the first time that he masturbated and experienced an orgasm.

"Concentrate," Daryl reprimanded. He could tell that he was having an effect on Harry, and that was exactly the reaction that he had been hoping for. He had never met anyone like Harry, and he was going to do his damnedest to talk him out of returning to England next week. He had always been a loner, content with a one night stand here or there, then happily moving on his way. Never before had he wanted to spend every minute of his time with someone. There was something about Harry, something that he couldn't resist. Yes, Harry may be half his age, and underage to boot, but since when did he give a fuck about rules and what other people thought? He wanted Harry, and he could tell that Harry wanted him, and as far as he was concerned, that was all the mattered.

Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled the trigger to the crossbow then quickly closed his eyes. He was afraid that once again he missed his target, and he didn't want to see the disappointment in Daryl's eyes. Not that Daryl had been disappointed in him, he just hated letting the man down. He had been so patient with teaching him how to shoot.

"You did it," Daryl gasped, easing the crossbow out of Harry's hands. "You got a bullseye."

Harry's eyes snapped open. "Really?" he choked in disbelief. For a week Daryl had been trying to teach him how to shoot his crossbow, but so far he had been hopeless.

Seeing the arrow buried in the center of the bullseye, Harry turned his face to Daryl, grinning from ear to ear. "I did it."

Still wrapped around Harry, Daryl couldn't resist when the teen turned so that they were practically nose to nose. Gripping the back of Harry's head, Daryl brought his lips down to his.

Harry's heart stopped beating the second that Daryl's lips touched his. He may have had strong feelings for the man, but never did he think that Daryl would feel the same way about him. He didn't even think that Daryl was gay, not with how rough and rugged he was. Moaning, Harry leaned into him and tentatively opened his mouth.

Without removing his lips, Daryl placed the crossbow on the ground then fully embraced Harry, delving his tongue deeply into his mouth. He couldn't remember a time being so turned on by someone., he desperately wanted Harry.

Harry couldn't believe that he was actually getting kissed by Daryl. He tried not to think how this was his first kiss and he prayed that he wasn't making a mess of it. He just clung to Daryl and followed his lead.

Daryl pushed Harry against the tree and reluctantly broke the kiss. Before Harry could fully catch his breath, he latched onto his delicate neck and started sucking and biting on it. "Are you a virgin, Harry?" Daryl panted, hands running up and down Harry's sides.

Harry tried to answer, but he was on sensory overload. Instead, he just nodded his head, unashamed that he had never given himself to another. He wanted Daryl to be his first...and hopefully his last.

Daryl ran his hand under Harry's shirt and started caressing his nipple. "Tell me to stop," he said huskily. "If not, I'm going to take you here in the woods underneath this tree." Daryl didn't consider himself gay, he was more bisexual, though he did prefer men. He was too dominant to submit to anyone though, so all his partners had to bottom. He knew if Merle ever found out that he preferred the same sex, he would beat the shit out of him until he swore to only fuck women.

"Oh god," Harry cried out when Daryl bit down hard on his collar bone. For the past three weeks he had fantasized about what it would be like to have sex with Daryl. Daryl was a rough, no shit kind of guy, and he imagined that he would be the same in bed.

"I want to bury myself deep inside of you, Harry, and if you don't tell me no now, then I'm going to strip you down and swallow your cock." Daryl didn't wait for an answer, dropping his hands, he made quick work of the button and zipper on the boy's pants.

Heart pounding almost painfully in his chest, Harry just managed to croak out. "Please, don't stop."

Smirking, Daryl yanked Harry's jeans down then dropped to his knees. Harry wasn't big, but given his size and malnourishment he had expected that. As far as he was concerned though, Harry was the perfect size for him. Wrapping his fingers around the base of his cock, he opened his mouth and took him in.

Harry cried out, head flinging back into the tree. The heat from Daryl's mouth was more than he was expecting and he knew that his trembling legs wouldn't be able to keep him standing much for longer. "D-Daryl, oh fuck!" he cried, clenching his eyes tight as he tried to hold back his fast approaching orgasm. He would be mortified if he came so soon, but he never imagined that a blow job would feel so incredible.

Daryl wasn't expecting Harry to last much longer. He was a fifteen year old virgin getting his first ever blow job, and if he wasn't mistaken, he had also given Harry his very first kiss. Moaning, he took Harry to the root and swallowed.

Screaming, Harry violently came down Daryl's throat. He had been trying to hold back, but when Daryl's throat constricted around the head of his penis, it had ripped the orgasm out of him before he even knew what was happening.

Daryl greedily swallowed what Harry had to offer then let the softening cock slip from his lips. He had given plenty of blow jobs before, but Harry was the first that he ever let come in his mouth. In the past, the thought of a man ejaculating in his mouth had thoroughly disgusted him, but with Harry it was different. Harry was kind, compassionate, forgiving, beautiful...and everything else that he wasn't. How could anything that came from his amazing boy taste disgusting?

Sliding down the tree, Harry gave his head a slight shake, trying to clear his vision. His orgasm had been so intense that he had almost blacked out from it.

Daryl leaned back on his heels and pulled his sleeveless shirt over his head, baring his muscled chest to Harry. Grabbing Harry by the waist, he yanked him down until he was laying flat out on the ground. After sliding off his dingy, ripped up, handy down sneakers, he finished divesting Harry of his jeans and boxers. Running his hands up his lean body, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off, leaving Harry completely naked to his hungry eyes.

Finally able to see again, Harry stared wide eyed as Daryl stripped completely down. He had a moment of panic and fear when he saw exactly how big Daryl was. Daryl had been generously gifted in that area, not just in length, but width also.

"Relax," Daryl grunted when he saw Harry staring at his large cock in fear. "I promise that you will love it." He knew that Harry was going to feel pain at first, probably a lot considering how big he was and how small Harry was, but he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Harry enjoyed getting thoroughly fucked by him. He didn't want this to be a one time thing, he wanted Harry under him moaning and screaming out his name for a long time to come.

Laying his body down on top of Harry's, Daryl reclaimed his lips in a passionate kiss. He wanted Harry hard and begging for him before he claimed him.

Harry arched up into Daryl, shocked when he felt himself harden again. He didn't think that he would be capable of getting an erection again so soon after coming, but Daryl was grinding and rubbing his cock against his and it felt amazing.

Smirking when he felt Harry's hard cock thrusting up against his, Daryl slowly kissed and licked his way down Harry's chest until he was once again sucking at the teen's erection. With a spit wet finger, he circled the tight virgin entrance of Harry's puckered hole and gently pushed in.

Harry clenched tightly around the finger that was slowly and gently thrusting in and out of his ass. He had masturbated plenty of times, but he had never gotten the courage to insert something up there. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, it burned and hurt a bit, but it also felt kind of good.

Adding a second finger, Daryl searched for the spot that would have Harry screaming and begging for more. He knew exactly when he hit it when Harry thrust up into his mouth screaming and mindlessly babbling. Focusing on that spot, he rubbed and prodded Harry's prostate until he easily had four fingers buried deeply inside of him.

"Please... Please... Please," Harry chanted over and over again. He needed to come so bad that it was almost painful. Daryl would take him to the edge, then stop before he could topple over.

Spitting in his hand, since he didn't have any lube, Daryl lined his cock up with Harry twitching entrance. "Bare down," he warned, before pushing in.

Harry dug his fingers into Daryl's shoulders as he tried to bare down like Daryl said. He had expected pain, but he wasn't expecting it to be this bad.

Gritting his teeth, Daryl stopped halfway in to give a Harry a chance to adjust and relax. Softly caressing the teens cheek, wiping away a tear, he leaned in and kissed him lovingly on the lips. "It will get better, I promise," he whispered in his ear.

Harry nodded his head despite the pain he was experiencing. It may hurt like a bitch, but he loved being this close to Daryl. He wasn't the only one though, his magic was purring in content, rippling through his body, happy that he was becoming one with the dark hunter.

Finally bottoming out, Daryl stopped and waited until Harry relaxed around his girth. Being inside Harry was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He knew that this feeling was something he would never get tired of. It was a bit scary thinking like that, he had never wanted to tie himself to one person before, but now he couldn't imagine ever being without Harry.

"Fuck," Harry panted. "You're so big," Harry couldn't prevent the few tears that escape his eyes and fell down his cheeks.

Snaking his hand between the two of them, Daryl started to fondle and pump Harry's dwindling cock hoping to distract him. Just because he was expecting Harry to feel pain didn't mean that he didn't feel bad over it. "You feel amazing, so tight and hot," he groaned. He was rewarded when once again Harry got hard and pushed down onto his cock. Taking that as a sign to proceed, Daryl pulled out and slowly pushed back in again. He kept up a slow pace until he found Harry's prostate, causing the teen to scream and bury his ass as hard as he could onto his cock.

"Like that, did you?" Daryl crooned, speeding up his thrusts and nailing Harry's prostate dead on each time. By now Harry was a blubbering mess, eyes closed, body flushed, cock hard, leaking and red...it was the most stunning sight ever.

"H-Harder," Harry cried, desperate to feel more of Daryl.

Daryl would have liked to have flipped Harry over onto his hands and knees and take him hard and fast from behind, but he knew that there was no way that the teen would be able to hold himself up. Harry was totally blissed out, lost in the feeling of his first sexual experience. All Harry could do was lay there and take it while he cried out in ecstasy. That was alright though, he was getting off on watching Harry's facial expressions. He couldn't wait to see Harry come with his cock buried deeply in his tight little ass.

"Please... Please... Gonna come," Harry cried, latching onto Daryl's arms, fingernails digging into hard muscles.

Daryl sped up his thrusts, close to coming himself. He wouldn't though, not before Harry. He wanted to feel Harry's channel as he came, milking his own orgasm out of him as it spasmed around him. Thankfully he didn't have long to wait. With a loud scream that caused the birds in the surrounding trees to take flight, Harry came, shooting an impressive load between them. He couldn't believe that Harry came from his dick alone, no stimulation whatsoever.

Harry slowly came down from the most amazing orgasm of his life. Daryl was still moving inside of him and each thrust felt like an electric shock to his over sensitized body. When Daryl first started thrusting, he honestly thought that he wasn't going to like it and he prayed that Daryl wouldn't last too long, but then Daryl found that sweet spot and relentlessly battered it. Now he hoped that they got to do this a hundred more times before he had to return to England.

Looking down, Daryl moaned at the site of his little lover. Harry was completely limp, breathing hard, dirt, leaves and twigs stuck all in his hair...he looked like a well fucked little wood nymph. Unable to hold off any longer, Daryl thrust three more times brutally hard and then emptied him deep into Harry's bowels. Trembling arms unable to hold him up any longer, Daryl gently laid himself down on Harry, careful to keep most of his weight on his side.

"Stay," Daryl whispered when he was finally able to form a coherent thought.

Harry snuggled into Daryl's warm, sweaty body, shivering from all the different feelings, both physically and emotionally that was overwhelming his senses. "I can't, if I don't have dinner prepared by the time my family gets home, uncle Vernon will flay me alive."

"Fuck that fat bastard," Daryl growled viciously. He would have happily stuck that fat pig with all his arrows if it wasn't for Harry pleading with him not to. He had to patch his poor boy up five more times since that first time, and today he had to break into the house and rescue Harry from where his uncle had him chained him up in the kitchen.

"No, I mean stay with me. Forever!" Daryl finally pulled out of Harry and rolled to his side, pulling Harry with him so he was spooning him.

"Do you mean it?" Harry asked hopefully, desperation evident in his voice. He didn't want to go back to the wizarding world, he wanted to stay in Georgia with Daryl.

Daryl stroked his fingers up and down Harry's side, grimacing as his fingers dipped between every prominent rib. "Harry, you know that I'm not a man of many words. When I say something, I mean it."

Harry turned so he could look into Daryl's dark blue eyes. When he saw the sincerity in them, he smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, I will stay with you." He knew that Dumbledore and the rest of the Order would come looking for him when he didn't return to school in the fall, but he didn't care. He was tired of doing what everyone else wanted, he was going to do something for himself. He had never felt as happy or as safe as when he was with Daryl.

Grinning, Daryl grabbed Harry's face and crashed their lips together. He was beyond thrilled that Harry agreed to stay with him. He knew it wouldn't be easy, especially since he shared a small hunting cabin with his brother Merle, but he would take care of Harry. Harry wasn't like most guys and girls that he had been with in the past, he didn't care about material things and money. He could tell that he would happily live off squirrels the rest of his life as long as he was with him.

"Are you too sore for round two," Daryl smirked, rubbing the tip of his finger over the teen's already hard erection.

Gasping, Harry rolled onto his back and spread his legs. "I was hoping for another round."

***HP

Sneering in disgust, Merle slipped out from behind the tree that he had been hiding behind and made his way back to the cabin. "Until now, he had ignored his baby brother's preference for the same sex, hoping that it was just some sick and disgusting phase. Daryl thought he was slick, but there was nothing that he didn't know about his little brother. Hell, he knew more about Daryl then what Daryl knew about himself.

Even though he didn't like it, he let Daryl fuck his men, as long as it didn't turn into anything serious. Dixon men were not faggots, and he wasn't going to sit back and allow his baby brother to become the first. He saw the way that Daryl looked at that little boy though, this wasn't just a fuck to him. Daryl had feelings for the boy, and he wasn't the type to just give away his heart. If his baby brother wanted the boy to stay, then Daryl was in love and he would never willingly give him up. As much as he wanted Daryl to be happy, he wouldn't allow him to turn into a shirt lifter. If Daryl wanted to fuck an asshole, then he could find a pretty little lady and drill her ass as much as he wanted to.

There was only one way to save his baby brother, and that was to eliminate the fucking little twink.

***HP

Sirius slumped in his chair not even trying to hide his pout. "Arabella said that they won a trip to America and that they won't be home until next weekend."

"Well, that's good," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Harry is on vacation, you can wait one more week."

"But we were supposed to surprise him Moony. He thought that we weren't getting him until his birthday, but now that everything is clear, we were going to bring him home now and surprise him with his own room and adoption papers."

"One more week, Pads, that's all you have to wait. Harry will be thrilled when we do pick him up, it will still be a surprise." Remus said trying to reassure his mate.

"I know,"Sirius said glumly. "I just want him home with us. Old Figgy said that she didn't think everything was right with Harry and his family. She said that she told Dumbledore on a couple of occasions that she suspected that they were abusing him."

Remus nodded his head sadly. "I too had my suspicions, Sirius. That boy is just way to small and thin. Both James and Lily were tall people and Harry is the size of a first year. I had also smelled blood on him in his third year when we were sharing a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. At first I had assumed that it was from when he fell from the Dementors, but the smell of his blood lingered way longer than a simple cut."

"He was so eager to move in with me," Sirius said thoughtfully. "All year he had thought that I betrayed his parents and wanted to kill him, and yet the second I offered him a home, he jumped on it. A kid with a happy home life wouldn't have done that."

"I agree," Remus admitted. "The past few years have been hectic and unpredictable, as much as I hate to admit it, Harry really was safer behind those blood wards."

"No," Sirius snapped. "He would have been just as safe here or at a Hogwarts. Don't believe in Dumbledore's bullshit. There is no excuse, and I mean absolutely no excuse, to leave a child in an abusive home."

"Sirius I agree, but..."

"There is no but, Moony. If Dumbledore didn't want to remove Harry and place him with a loving family, then he should have cast a charm over the muggles so they would except and care for him. No, that man knew what he was doing. He needed Harry desperate for love and acceptance. He wanted Harry to see him as his savior." Sirius spat.

Before Remus could answer, Hermione came tumbling out of the floo followed by her parents. Getting to her feet, Hermione looked frantically around, tears falling from her eyes. "Where's Harry? Please tell me that he's here?," she cried hysterically.

Remus jumped up and helped Hermione's parents to their feet. Both adults looked extremely shaken up and were also looking around like they were expecting someone to jump out and grab them.

"Hermione," Sirius said in concern. He had never seen the little witch so distressed, not even when she facing down Bellatrix. "Harry is on vacation in America with his relatives."

"No, no, no, no," Hermione cried, shaking her head, eyes wide with fear. With a loud cry, she crumpled to her knees sobbing.

"What the hell?" Sirius yelled, grabbing a calming draught and pressing it to Hermione's lips. "What is going on?"

"The world has come to an end," Mr. Granger declared, unsteadily walking to the table and taking a seat. "If it wasn't for the fireplace, we would have never made it out alive."

Hermione grabbed onto Sirius's hand. "Sirius, it's bad. Some kind of virus or something has turned people into zombies. Our street was swarming with them and they were trying to break into the house." Slapping her hand over her mouth, Hermione ran to the trash can and threw up in it.

"Our neighbor," Mrs. Granger said softly, staring off into nothing. "It-It was horrible. She tried running away, but-but there were too many of them. They ate her." Gagging, she ran to the trash can and emptied her stomach too.

Sirius looked to Remus, fear and confusion written all over his face. "What the fuck is a zombie?"

Remus looked at Hermione and her parents, he could tell that they weren't making it up. All three were white as a ghost and trembling uncontrollably "Zombies are like inferi," he answered darkly.

"What," Sirius gasped, staring at Remus in disbelief. "Are you saying that inferi are wondering around England eating people?"

"Not just England, laddie," Moody grumbled, limping into the kitchen. "It's all over...every continent, every country. They are quickly taking over, and if you're not lucky enough to be eaten by them, then their bite will turn you into one. Dumbledore has called everyone here for an emergency meeting." Moody looked seriously around the room. "This is as bad as it gets. It just may be the end of man kind."

***HP

"Wake up," Petunia screeched, violently shaking her precious Dudders.

"Get off," Dudley groaned, not only pushing his mother away, but also smacking her hard on her bony arm.

"Dudley baby, we have to get out of here before they find us." Petunia cried, still shaking her son.

"What the f...? What are you on about?" Dudley struggled to sit up, which wasn't easy given his size.

"Oh Dudders, it's horrible. Zombies have taken over, it's been all over the news. We have to get out of here and get to Atlanta where they are setting up some kind of shelter."

"Right," Dudley snorted, laying back down on his bed. "Can't get one over on me."

"Dudley, get the hell up!" Vernon roared. "We have to get to safety."

Dudley lunged out of bed, his father had never yelled at him like that, not even when he got caught shop lifting. "Dad what's going on?"

"Son, your mother's not joking. People have turned into some kind of freaky zombie thing. You got two minutes to dress and grab what you can. We have to get to safety."

Gulping, Dudley nodded his head and quickly got to changing. He was so scared that he was moving faster than what he had ever moved before. His father would never joke around about zombies, he despised anything freakish...like his cousin.

Harry peeked out from his bedroom wondering what the hell was going on. He had overheard his aunt, but he didn't think anything of it until his uncle started yelling. Never before had uncle Vernon yelled at Dudley.

Despite not wanting to leave Daryl, especially after three rounds of mind blowing sex, he retuned to the cabin so he could pack up his belongings. He didn't want to leave his photo album behind, it was bad enough that his invisibility cloak was back in Surrey. Daryl had planned on picking him up the second his relatives walked of the door for the day.

"This is all your lot's fault!" Vernon bellowed, punching his nephew hard in the face. "Your lot did something and now everyone is turning into monsters." Vernon started kicking Harry, who had dropped from the first brutal punch.

"Leave the boy alone," Petunia cried. "We don't have time. We have to get to Atlanta."

"Right you are," Vernon snarled, delivering one last painful kick to his nephew's side.

Harry cried out when the last kick snapped a rib. Trying to catch his breath, he struggled to his knees and watched as his family scrambled around the cabin, grabbing everything that they could...even stuff that belonged to the cabin's owner. He didn't know what was going on, but he was getting pretty freaked out. He had only ever saw his uncle move that fast when he was punishing him.

"I'm running this to the car," Petunia informed, lugging three bags towards the door.

Harry painfully got to his feet and went back to his room to grab his duffle bag. He already had it filled since he had planned on leaving anyway. He was just getting ready to make his way to the bathroom, when his aunt let out a blood curdling scream.

"They're here, Vernon, oh god they're here," Petunia screamed.

Vernon quickly slapped his hand over his wife's mouth. "Shut it! Remember what the news said, they're are attracted to sound. As long as we are quiet, they will leave us alone."

Confused, Harry limped over to the window and carefully peeked out. What he saw had his blood run cold. There was at least a dozen mangled, dead looking people staggering around their front yard, making their way up onto the porch.

"What the hell are they?" Harry whispered. Even though he had never seen them, he had always imagined that inferi would look exactly like what was outside their door.

Shoving his nephew out of the way and knocking him onto the ground, Vernon peaked out the window. Paling at what he saw, he looked to his wife and son. "There's too many of them, they will be on us before we make it to the car."

"Vernon, what are we going to do?" Petunia cried, desperately clinging to her son.

Looking around the room, Vernon's beady eyes landed on his nephew. "Be ready to go when I say. Don't let them bite or scratch you, you will turn into one on them if they do." Grabbing Harry by the arm, he hauled him to the door.

"Vernon," Petunia gasped. "What are you doing?" Her eyes looked frantically between her husband and her nephew.

"We need a diversion," Vernon snickered.

"Vernon, no!" Petunia screamed, covering her mouth with her trembling hand. She may have never loved her nephew, but she would never wish that kind of death on him. To be eaten alive, torn to pieces by the dead, she wouldn't wish that on her worst enemy.

Vernon had one hand on the door, and the other fisted into his nephews hair. "It's him or us," he snarled. "Those...things...want something to eat. Let them eat the freak, he's a useless little shit anyway."

"No," Dudley sobbed, shaking his head back and forth. "No." He couldn't believe what his father was suggesting. Harry hunting was one thing, throwing him to a pack of flesh eating zombies was something all together different. He was just jealous that Harry could do all that cool magic stuff, he didn't want to see him get torn apart because of it.

Harry was scratching at his uncle's hand, but it was like the man couldn't even feel it. "Please, please don't, uncle. Please don't throw me out there." Never before had he begged his uncle for anything, not when he was starving, and not when his uncle was whipping him.

Petunia screamed loudly when hands started banging on the windows. It took less than a minute before the glass gave way and mutilated corpse heads where pushing their way in. Looking to Harry with tears in her eyes, she closed her eyes and murmured, "I'm sorry." She didn't want to do it, she honestly didn't, but Dudley was her first priority. If Harry had to die in order for her son to live, then so be it.

"No!" Harry screamed, fighting his uncle with all his strength. Unfortunately living off of squirrels twice a day for the past three weeks didn't help him build up his strength. He was no match for his uncle, especially since he was high on adrenaline.

Smirking, Vernon yanked open the door and heaved his nephew out. "Now!" he yelled to his family when the zombies swarmed Harry.

Petunia didn't look as she ran past Harry and jumped into the car. Unfortunately she couldn't block out his screams and she knew that they would haunt her for the rest of her life. As they drove away at full speed, she knew then and there that she would spend eternity in hell for what they just did...and she knew that they deserved it.

*** HP

Harry kicked and punched trying to get away from the walking corpses. Uncle Vernon's words were screaming in his head, 'don't let them bite or scratch you'. He shouldn't be surprised that his uncle used him as bait so they could get away, but he was...and it hurt. The little boy buried deep inside still clung to the hope that his family loved him despite all the pain they had caused him.

He didn't want to die, not like this, and not after finding his soul mate. Hermione had once read a chapter in a book to him from the restricted section about soul mates. The book described how all witches and wizards had soul mates, but very seldom found them. If they were lucky enough to find the one person created for them, the person containing a part of their soul, then they would feel complete and their magic content. At first he didn't understand what his magic was telling him, but now he knew...Daryl was his soul mate. If the soul mate bond was strong enough, then eventually the pair would be able to hear each other's thoughts, feel their pain, and same sex couples could even conceive. He still didn't understand exactly how that worked, and since he was twelve when Hermione had read that to him, he really hadn't cared at the time.

Feeling himself tire, Harry was just about to give in when an arrow buried itself right between the eyes of the zombie that was about to bite his face. Another arrow founds it's way in the head of another zombie, and then strong hands were grabbing him by the shoulders and hauling him back away.

"Stay behind me," Daryl shouted, setting another arrow in his crossbow.

Harry didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling to his feet, he got behind Daryl and stood as close as he could without hindering his movements. He was so shaken and scared that he just wanted to cling to Daryl's back. He may have been put in a lot of scary situations since entering the wizarding world, but Voldemort had nothing on face munching zombies. Even the basilisk paled in comparison to the walking dead.

Shooting another zombie between the eyes, Daryl handed Harry his bow and pulled out his knife. "There's too many, get to my truck."

Looking around, Harry spotted Daryl's truck just a few feet away. Unfortunately there were five zombies blocking his path to it. As if reading his mind, Daryl handed him a knife. "It has to be the head, it's the only way to kill the fuckers."

Nodding his head and swallowing down the vomit that was working it's way up. Harry darted a few feet towards the cabin and grabbed his bag where it had fallen when his uncle threw him out the door. Feeling hands pulling at his shirt, he turned and plunged his knife in the forehead of the zombie that was hoping to make a meal out of him.

"Oh, that's disgusting," Harry gagged when zombie goo splashed all over him.

"Get in the fucking truck," Daryl yelled as more zombies came staggering out from the woods.

Harry took out three more zombies before he finally made it to the truck. If only he had his wand, he could have taken the lot out with one spell. Wandless casting was taught at Hogwarts, but not until seventh year after they had come into their magical majority at seventeen. Accidental magic was one thing, but wandless magic before your majority could burn out your magical core and cause severe, irreversible damage. Even then wandless magic was extremely hard and the majority couldn't do it. He knew that Dumbledore, and Snape could do it, but he had never seen Sirius or Remus do it.

Daryl slid into the truck beside Harry and took off. He was thankful now that he had left the truck running, not that he had done it on purpose. He had been coming down the road to collect Harry when he saw that fat bastard throw him to the Walkers so they could make their escape. His heart plummeted when they swarmed the teen and pounced on him. He knew that he loved Harry and he would face a hundred walkers to save him.

"Are you bit?" Daryl yelled, slamming on the breaks now that they were far enough away. Turning in his seat, he grabbed Harry and started checking him over, even taking off his shirt.

"I-I'm fine Daryl, honestly," Harry reassured, wanting nothing more than to crawl into Daryl's lap. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

Daryl grabbed Harry by the face. "Were you bit or scratched? Harry this is very important, I need to know."

Harry's heart froze when he saw the fear in Daryl's eyes...fear for him. "No... No I wasn't bit. I'm ok, Daryl."

"Thank god," Daryl groaned, brutally smashing his lips to Harry's and claiming them.

Harry returned the kiss, needing to feel Daryl, needing to feel safe.

Pulling back from the kiss, Daryl rested his forehead on Harry's. "If I ever see that fat fuck, I'm gonna kill him."

Harry couldn't stop the tears from falling or his body from shaking uncontrollably. Now that he was safe with Daryl, everything that his uncle had done came crashing down on him. "M-My rib is broken," he cried, clinging to Daryl.

"From the zombies?" Daryl asked, gently prodding at the bruised flesh. "Your uncle did this, didn't he," he growled. There were too many new bruises covering his body for the zombies to have done it.

Harry nodded his head. "Right before he fed me to those things. Daryl, what's going on?"

Clenching the steering wheel to hide that his hands where shaking too, Daryl started to drive off. "It's been all over the news since last night. There have been a lot of speculation, but so far no one seems to know what's honestly going on. These things are just turning up, Walkers they're calling them. I don't know how it started, but if you're bitten or scratched by one, you will turn into one too. Merle had heard in the bar last night that the only way to kill them is to pierce their brain. It's mass hysteria out there, every man for themselves. Even the military has lost it and they're killing just as many civilians as they are walkers.

Harry wrapped his arms around himself. "What are we going to do?"

"For now we are going back to my cabin to wait for Merle. The news said that they were setting up a safe area in Atlanta, so I guess we will head there."

Despite it being hot outside, Harry felt frozen. Needing to feel warmth, he scooted across the seat until he was flush against Daryl. "My uncle said that they were heading to Atlanta."

"Good, I can kill him when we find him." Daryl wrapped his arm around Harry and pulled him in tight. "Don't worry, brat, I'll keep you safe."

Harry rested his head on Daryl's shoulder, never doubting his words for a minute. "Is this thing happening all over the world, or just here?" He couldn't help but to worry about his godfathers, the Weasleys, Hermione, and all the other friends he had made back at Hogwarts.

"Don't know," Daryl grunted. "Lost all tv broadcasts early this morning. We are flying blind."

***HP

Sirius stormed down the steps with one tote flung over his shoulder and another dangling from his hand. When he got to the bottom of the steps, he flung the one in his hand at Remus.

"Sirius, I understand that you're worried about Harry, but it's too dangerous to go out there. We are safe here behind the wards, those things can't get to us here," Dumbledore said, trying to stop Sirius and Remus from doing anything foolish.

"Don't wanna here it old man." Sirius growled, storming past him and into the kitchen. "Just make me a damn international portkey for America, Georgia to be exact."

Dumbledore watched as Sirius started stuffing his bag full of food. "Sirius, I can only make it one way. If you go, you will have to find somebody over there that can make you a return portkey, and from the sound of things, the chances of finding someone powerful enough is very slim."

"Don't care," Sirius grumbled. "Harry is out there and needs my help. If we get stuck over there, then so be it."

"What about a house elf?" Hermione asked from where she was sitting leaning against Ron. "Can't Dobby go over there and get him?"

Dumbledore sadly shook his head no. "House elf magic can only reach so far. Harry is too far away for Dobby to sense him. Now, if he would have been bonded to Harry he could have, but unfortunately he is not."

Hermione dropped her head in shame. Dobby had begged Harry to bond with him, but Harry had said no because of how she felt about house elves and their rights. Instead Harry had promised Dobby that he would always have a home with him.

Ron gave Sirius a pained look. "Sirius, Mione and I, we would... We want... What I'm trying to say is..."

"That you want to help but you're scared?" Sirius asked softly. "It's alright, I understand. I'm scared shitless too, so I know where you're coming from. Harry wouldn't want you to risk your life for him. Stay here and help look after everything."

Ron sadly nodded his head. He really did want to help look for his best friend, but those inferi like things scared the shit out of him. He couldn't ever remember being this scared.

"Sirius, what is your plan?" Dumbledore asked.

"Simple, find Harry and keep him safe." Sirius grumbled.

"If we can't make it back, then we can put up wards until whatever this is blows over." Remus added as he emptied all the potions from the medical cabinet into his bag.

"Listen, I too am worried about Harry, but this is just too dangerous," Dumbledore tried again.

Sirius turned to Dumbledore. "Remus and I are going. You are more than welcome to use the house to keep everyone safe, just no one in Harry's room. Now, make me a portkey or get the hell out."

Sighing, Dumbledore picked up a book and turned it into a portkey. Not everyone could create international portkeys, it took an incredible amount of power to do it. "Harry may be strong enough to create a portkey, though it will dangerously drain his magical core. This book explains the spell and wand movements if you can't find someone else to do it."

Sirius took the book, but before Remus could touch it so they could activate it, Kingsley came rushing into the room. "The Unspeakables captured a couple of these zombie things and have been testing them. They don't know what caused their condition and there is no cure since they are already dead, but they did find out a few interesting things." Kingsley looked to Remus. "They won't go anywhere near werewolves, even in their human form. You can walk in the middle of a hundred of them, and they will move away from you. They react the same way to vampires. Unfortunately, they don't feel the same way about witches and wizards and casting any spells attracts them, so be very careful when using your wand. Wards to keep magical creatures away works on them, and a simple amputation spell to the neck will stop them. If you want to kill them though, then you must destroy the brain. A bombarda to the head will do the trick along with a hundred different other curses. Just remember, while you are using magic to kill them, you will also be attracting more to you."

"How are muggles killing them?" Bill Weasley asked. He had been in Egypt when this hit, but rushed home immediately to be with his family.

"Guns, knives, sticks, whatever they can find to bash their heads in." Kingsley answered.

Smirking, Sirius went to the fireplace and yanked down two swords that were on display over it with the black family crest engraved in them. Shrinking them down, he put one in his pocket and gave the other to Remus.

"Anything else we need to know?" Sirius asked Kingsley.

"The killing curse doesn't work on them, they can't swim, their bite will infect you and turn you into knew of them, uhm...that's about it."

"Excellent, so we find Harry and have Moony bite the two of us on the full moon," Sirius said in all seriousness.

"Sirius, you can't be serious?" Dumbledore yelled.

Sirius grinned. "Actually, I am serious...on both counts. If being a werewolf saves him, then I see no problem with it."

Remus stood there staring thoughtfully at his mate. He had always thought of his lycanthropy as a curse, but now it was a blessing. "Either that or vampirism."

"Remus, would you honestly turn Harry?" Dumbledore asked in disbelief.

Remus placed his hand on the book, but before Sirius could say the activation word, he looked Dumbledore in the eyes and said, "yes". The thought of biting Harry made him sick, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to save his cub...even if that meant turning him.

***HP

Now, I had a lot of people ask me to not make Merle such an ass :( I'm sorry, but the man was,,,lol. Maybe later on I will let him redeem himself, but right now I need him to be...well, Merle.

I don't know if this is allowed, but I will remove it if isn't.. I am looking for cabbage patch dolls from the early 80's...any condition. If you have one laying around, dirty, sad, naked, whatever and you don't want, drop me a pm. I try to restore some for donating, some for personal collection, send some to a friend who gives to nursing homes...whatever I can do. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.

Hope you all enjoy this. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, guess I will find out when you all do,,lol. Just so you all know...I do not agree with Merle's views..

Please review.

***HP

Daryl was sitting on the edge of the bed in his boxers puffing on a cigarette an admiring his sweet boy when his brother Merle finally came stumbling in. "Where the fuck have you been?" he whispered, not wanting to wake Harry. "It has been two fucking days."

Falling onto the beat up old couch in their one room cabin, Merle sneered. "I went scouting, it's fucking crazy out there." Merle's eyes drifted to the small boy sleeping behind his brother and his face scrunched up in disgust. "Why the hell did you bring your little fuck toy back here?"

Daryl paled, how did his brother know?

Merle glared hard at his younger brother. "I have know about your sick sexual preferences since you were fifteen years old, boy. I kept my mouth shut hoping you would grow out it, but bringing that little faggot back here is too much, baby brother. It was bad enough that I stumbled across the two of you when you were popping his little boy cherry."

Daryl got up and grabbed his pants from where he had carelessly tossed them the night before and quickly got dressed. "You will leave him alone, Merle. There are bigger things to worry about than who I fuck."

Merle leaned back and closed his eyes. "I agree," he groaned. "Things are bad, worse even that what you think. You need to get out there and kill us some food so we can get headed to Atlanta."

"And leave you here alone with Harry, the fuck I will," Daryl snapped.

Merle cracked one eye open. "I'm not going to hurt your dolly, princess," he sneered. "I have been awake for forty eight hours, I want to get some sleep before we leave. Now go get us some fucking food!"

Daryl looked back at Harry who was still sleeping soundly. With Merle gone, they had spent their alone time very productively and his poor boy was exhausted. He didn't want to leave his boy alone with Merle, but they were out of food and he didn't know what it would be like once they got out on the road. "Look, Merle, you don't have to like Harry or my sexual preferences, hell, you don't even have to like me, but if you hurt him..."

Chuckling, Merle flashed his brother the middle finger. "I promise to be a good little boy scout and look after your little lady. Now get the fuck going!"

With one last glance at Harry, Daryl reluctantly scooped up his crossbow and arrows and took off. The sun was just starting to come up so hopefully he could find something quick and get back before Harry woke. He didn't think Merle would physically hurt Harry, but he had a smart mouth with no filter. Harry had been hurt and belittled enough by his own family, he didn't need more from his brother.

Merle closed his eyes and waited. If everything went according to plan, he would be down one little twink and he could get heading to Atlanta with his brother. The plan wasn't easy, but after coming home last night and spotting Daryl making love, not just fucking, that little boy, he knew that he had to do something drastic to eliminate him. Daryl had it bad for that kid, and that was something that he could not allow.

Harry tumbled out of the bed when he heard glass shattering and loud banging. "Daryl," he called out groggily.

"Get fucking dressed and get out of here!"

Harry jumped to his feet at the command and quickly got dressed. He didn't know who the man was that was fighting off the zombies as they poured through the door, but he assumed that he was Daryl's older brother Merle. "Where's Daryl?" he cried, as he quickly laced up his shoes.

"He went to get you some fucking food. Come on, I can't hold them off any longer." Merle thrust his knife into another zombie's head causing it to fall with the five others that he killed at his feet. "Through the window," he snarled when the kid just stood there. There were ten more zombies outside trying to get in, he honestly couldn't hold them off much longer. It took a lot out of him earlier getting them into the van that he stole to bring them here in the first place.

Harry tumbled out of the window and seconds later was followed by Merle. "Into the woods!" Merle yelled, pushing the much smaller boy in the direction that he wanted him to go. He knew the kid was small, but he didn't realize that he was that small. He was surprised that a boy that small could take Daryl, he never took his brother for a pedophile.

"What about, Daryl?" Harry cried, frantically looking around for his mate.

Merle grabbed the boy's arm and started dragging him through the woods. "He will find us, he's the best damn tracker there is."

Harry wrapped his arm tightly around his middle to support his broken rib and followed Merle deeper into the woods and away from the flesh eating zombies. It didn't feel right leaving the cabin and Daryl, but he didn't have a choice. Zombies were swarming the place now so he had to follow Merle. He had been lucky enough to have time to grab his bag before going through the window, so hopefully Daryl would see it missing and know they got out alive.

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked, jogging to catch up to Merle.

Merle spun around sneering at the boy. "We aren't going to do anything, you disgusting little faggot," he said, thrusting a backpack at him. "You are going to disappear and stay away from my brother. My brother is not gay and he doesn't need you hanging around confusing him."

Harry stumbled backwards from the force of the backpack hitting him in the chest. "I-I don't understand," he whispered, panic getting ready to overtake him. He couldn't leave Daryl...he just couldn't.

Merle bent down and got nose to nose with the trembling boy. "What don't you understand, fairy? You're not good enough for my baby brother. My brother ain't no ass pounding faggot. You are going to walk away and forget that you ever met him."

Harry backed away from the large man, shaking his head no. "I-I can't leave Daryl, I love him."

Merle sneered in disgust. "You're just a child, what do you know about love? My brother doesn't love you. You're nothing more than a tight little hole to him, and when the next little virgin comes along, he will leave you crying in the street."

"You lie," Harry cried, fighting to hold back his tears. He wasn't going to give Merle the satisfaction of seeing him crying despite how bad his words hurt.

Merle cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Look kid, we can do this the hard way, or we can do this the easy way. I'm not a complete heartless bastard, in that bag is a knife, some rope, a lighter, a bottle of water and a bag of chips. Now, you can take the bag and go on your merry way and never look back, or I can beat the shit out of you until you can't get up and leave your broken body here for the Walkers to munch on."

Harry shook his head, tears finally escaping. "It will have to be the hard way, I'm not willingly leaving Daryl." He knew he was asking for it, there was no way he could take Merle. He might have had a chance if he had his wand, but he didn't.

Merle was momentarily stunned, he thought for sure the kid would choose the easy way. He must really have it hard for his brother if he was willing to take a beating from him. Burying any guilt he may have for doing what he was about to do, Merle punched the kid hard in the side of his face, dropping him to his knees.

Harry wasn't surprised when Merle hit him, he could tell that the man wasn't bluffing. He was surprised at how hard he was hit though, the punch left his ears ringing and vision dark. Being hit was nothing new to him, but Vernon and Dudley's punches had nothing on Merle's.

Merle almost felt bad for dropping the kid like that, he didn't even think he had hit him that hard. "Are you ready to take the easy way now?"

Harry struggled to his feet, fighting the nauseous feeling building in his stomach. "I'm not leaving," he said with determination. Harry dodged the next punch but unfortunately wasn't fast enough to dodge the one right after that. The last thing he saw was Merle's somewhat concerned but sneering face before everything went dark.

"Damn, idiot," Merle growled, bending down and scooping up the unconscious boy. "Why couldn't you just take the easy way." He just wanted to scare the boy off, not hurt him. He had to do it though, for his brother. Fags where disgusting and he wouldn't stand by and allow his brother to become one.

Zigzagging his way through the woods until he was certain that the boy couldn't find his way back, Merle shoved the still unconscious body into a small burrow and covered it with sticks and leaves. He may not like the little shit, but he didn't want to leave him out in the open for the dead to get.

***HP

Dropping his kill, Daryl sprinted full speed towards the cabin when he spotted all the dead walkers. "Harry!" he yelled, bursting through the door and falling onto a pile of corpses. Frantically looking around, he sighed in relief when he didn't spot Harry or Merle's body amongst the dead. Merle must have taken out the walkers and took off into the woods with Harry.

Walking around the outside of the cabin, Daryl was able to pick up their tracks by the back window. He had followed their trail for about a half a mile when he came upon his brother on his knees with his head bowed by a mound of dirt.

"Merle," Daryl called, heart pounding in his chest. "Where's Harry?" Daryl spun around looking in every direction for his boy.

Merle slowly got up, his front covered in blood and his hands scraped and dirty. "Daryl, I tied, I really did. I told him to run, but he didn't want to leave without you. I fought off as many as I could then grabbed him and ran. I thought we made, until I saw the blood pouring out from his neck. Daryl, he got bit."

The crossbow fell from Daryl's limp hand and he stumbled to the grave and fell. "No, please no," he cried, clawing at the dirt mound and trying to unearth his boy.

Merle was shocked to see that his brother was not only crying, but sobbing on the fake grave that he dug. He hadn't seen his baby brother cry since he fell out of the tree and broke his arm when he was only five. He didn't even cry when their mother died in the house fire.

Daryl stopped digging and rested his head in his arms in the dirt as he cried for his lost love. He didn't realize just how much he loved Harry until now. He had promised his brat that he would keep him safe and not let anyone of anything hurt him. He had failed him just two days later.

Merle placed a hand on his brother's back. "Daryl, I know you're grieving, but we have to go. I can see a small herd of walkers coming and I don't think I have the strength to take them on."

Daryl jumped to his feet roughly shoving his brother back. "How could you let them get him? I trusted you with him!" Daryl angry wiped at his tears smudging dirt across his face.

"Daryl, I'm sorry," Merle said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I tried to keep him safe, but he didn't listed to me."

Throwing his head back, Daryl screamed as loud as he could. He never expected that losing somebody would hurt so much. Snatching the knife from his belt, he charged the eight walkers heading for them and brutally cut through them. Covered in blood, he stumbled back towards his brother. Without saying anything, he grabbed his crossbow and stormed off. Harry was gone, there was nothing that he could do for him now. Harry was the first person he had given his heart to...and he would be the last.

Merle followed his brother, guilt eating at him. He knew that Daryl cared for the boy, but he didn't realize just how much. Still, Daryl was better off without him. That kind of relationship was sick and unnatural.

***HP

"Point me Harry Potter," Sirius muttered, holding his wand out in front of him. Remus was standing in front of him blocking the muggles from seeing what he was doing...not that they were paying him any mind. It was complete chaos, everyone was pushing and shoving each other, trampling over small children. The portkey had dropped them right outside a major city by the name of Atlanta.

Sirius impatiently waited as his wand spun in his hand. He just wanted to get his pup and get back before they ran into any of those zumbinee things. "This way," Sirius said, tugging on Remus' arm. "He's not in the city." He was a bit relieved that his pup wasn't in there, he could hear gun shots and screaming coming from there and he wasn't to keen on getting in the middle of that.

"Sirius, he could be over a hundred miles away," Remus groaned. "We need a way to get around faster."

"Like a motorcycle?" Sirius grinned, digging into his pocket.

"You didn't?" Remus gasped.

"I did," Sirius smirked, opening up his hand and proudly displaying a little model of a motorcycle. "I got it back from Hagrid after the incident at the ministry."

"I should hex you for bringing that loud, obnoxious machine, but we're going to need it." Remus sighed. The loud motorcycle hurt his super sensitive werewolf hearing, but he would deal with it if it helped them find Harry faster.

Grinning excitedly, Sirius ducked into the woods and enlarged his motorbike. The last time he got to drive it was the night that James and Lily were killed and he loaned it to Hagrid so he could take Harry. That was the biggest mistake of his life, and he knew that he was going to pay dearly for it someday when he died and met up with James and Lily. Harry should have been his first priority, not revenge.

Remus reluctantly climbed on the back of the bike and wrapped his arms around his mate's waist. He said a prayer up to James and Lily that Harry would be safe with them by nightfall. They hadn't seen any zombies yet, but they had only been in Georgia for ten minutes. He knew their luck wouldn't hold out, and he was not looking forward to it.

***HP

Harry pushed his way out through the sticks and leaves, groaning when the sunlight hit his sensitive eyes. He didn't know how long he had been out, but his head was still throbbing and his ears were still ringing. Merle was one strong son of a bitch.

Looking back at where he just crawled out from, he was surprised to see that Merle actually took the time to hide him away from the dead. He was even more surprised to find that Merle left him with the backpack full of supplies and his own personal bag. Grabbing the supply bag, he rooted through it until he found the knife then hooked it to his belt. If he stumbled across any zombies, it wasn't going to do him any good in a bag strapped to his back.

Listening carefully, he was relieved to hear only birds, no moaning or feet shuffling from zombies. Looking around, his heart plummeted when he didn't recognize where he was. Over the past few weeks with Daryl, they had explored a lot of the forest, but this was an area they had never ventured.

Grabbing a big sturdy stick for extra protection, Harry started to walk in the direction he prayed that the cabin and Daryl was in. The thought of never seeing his mate again caused a pain in his chest that hurt almost as much as his broken rib. He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't find his mate. With everything currently going on in the world with all the zombies, he didn't think he could make it without Daryl or his wand.

***HP

Harry ignored the rumbling in his stomach and the painful hunger pains. He had been walking for hours, and still he didn't recognize anything. A little voice in his head kept reminding him of the chips in his backpack, but he didn't know how long he was going to be lost in the woods and he didn't want to eat his only bag of chips so soon. He was use to going for days without eating, though one of Daryl's squirrels would be excellent right about now.

He was just getting ready to sit and take a rest when he heard the crunching of leaves. Pulling out his knife, he stared unblinkingly in the direction that the noise was coming from. Tense and holding his breath, Harry waited with the knife gripped tightly in his hands.

Harry gave an unmanly shriek when a group of zombies came stumbling out from the weeds. "What the hell are you guys doing wandering the middle of the woods?" he cursed. Knowing he couldn't take them all, he grabbed his bags and took off running. For once he thanked Dudley and his gang for teaching him how to be fast and how duck and swerve.

Harry ran until his lungs felt like they were going to burst. It must have been a long time because the sky was darkening and the temperature had dropped slightly. Falling to his knees panting, he frantically dug through his bag looking for the bottle of water that Merle had mentioned. He was surprised when he found not one, but three bottles of water and a thin ratty blanket. Opening one of the bottles with bloody and scratched up hands, he quickly brought the water to his lips and guzzled. He didn't recall running through any brush, but the cuts and scrapes on his hands and arms proved otherwise.

Looking around, he found that he was in a rather thick part of the woods. He had lost the walkers miles back, but he didn't want to risk anymore stumbling upon him while he slept. He found it a bit odd that dead people would just be wandering around the woods when there were no houses or roads close by.

Unfortunately, he was still hopelessly lost and he didn't think it would be a good idea to wander the woods in the dark, so he had to set up camp here. Spotting a tree with thick sturdy branches, he pulled out the rope and secured his two bags on his back. Draping the rope over his shoulder, he grabbed the lowest branch and pulled himself painfully up. This would have been a hell of a lot easier if he didn't have a broken rib.

There was no way he would be able to get any sleep sleeping on the ground without someone as look out, so his only option was to go up and get out of reach of the zombies. The rope Merle left him was pretty long, so after much trial and error, he was able to wrap it around the tree and tie himself to it. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but luckily he was use to sleeping in uncomfortable places. He was physically exhausted and the pain in his chest had gotten a little worse, he was missing Daryl so much that it hurt. Those two days alone with him in the cabin were the best two days of his life. When they weren't making love, which wasn't often, they were swapping stories about themselves as they snuggled on the couch. Daryl didn't look like a snuggler, but he seemed to crave his touch as much as he craved his. He had to find Daryl, he would never feel complete without him.

***HP

Sirius stopped his bike in the middle of the old back dirt road and stared in horror. They had been traveling for over two hours and this was this first time they had come across any zumbinee things.

"Don't, you can't help them," Remus said softly, fisting at Sirius' black shirt. His mate was getting ready to jump off his bike to rescue the two people that were being attacked.

"We have to save them from the zumbinees," Sirius said, trying to break loose from Remus.

"Zombies, Sirius, and it's already too late. Their necks were ripped out before we even got here, they're dead."

Sirius swallowed down the bile that was threatening to come up. The Granger's had said that they saw their neighbor being eaten by these creatures, but he honestly thought they had been exaggerating. These things were literally ripping out hunks of flesh with their teeth and hands and eating it. "First full moon, Moony," he gagged, turning his head from the grisly site.

"Agreed," Remus murmured, wrapping his arms securely around Sirius' waist again as he started the bike up and tore off. He wasn't even squeamish about turning his mate and pup. If it saved them from ending up like those people, eaten alive by zombies, then he was all for it. His curse was finally a blessing.

***HP

Every part of Harry's body ached, it felt as though he had slept all night in a tree...which he did. It definitely wasn't the most comfortable, but it was safe and allowed him to drift in and out without fear of becoming some zombie's midnight snack.

Reluctantly, Harry had opened and ate the bag of chips that Merle had left him. He had went all day yesterday without eating and that left him feeling weak and nauseous. Normally he could go a lot longer without food, but not while walking miles and miles in the scorching hot sun. It was one of the hottest days he had experienced so far in Georgia and he was dirty, sweaty and close to passing out.

He couldn't believe how long had had been walking for and yet still stuck in the woods. He thought for sure he would have stumbled upon a road or a house by now. He had heard a scream or two far off in the distance, but he figured where there was screaming, there was zombies. His friends had all said that he had a hero complex. Granted, he would do anything to save those he considered friends or family, but he will still mostly Slytherin, and Slytherns were all about saving their own asses. He managed his guilt by telling himself that the screams were very far off, and by the time he got there, it would have been too late anyway. Now, if he stumbled across someone needing help, he would jump in without having to think about it, but right now he was beyond exhausted and concerned for his own safety.

Harry had been walking for close to an hour when he finally stumbled upon a house. It was an old farm house in need of repairs, but it still had a certain charm to it. He could tell that someone still lived in it, the front yard well kept with flowers and there was a vegetable garden off to the side. Stepping behind a large tree so the occupants of the house couldn't see him, he watched an waited. With zombies on the loose, he didn't want to just stroll on up to the porch and get his head blown off. He also didn't want to knock on the door only to have it answered by a flesh eating zombie.

After observing the house for over forty five minutes and not seeing any movements from within, he decided to risk knocking on the door. He approached the house slowly with his hands in the air so if anyone was inside, they wouldn't mistake him for a zombie or burglar. As he got closer, he couldn't help but notice the tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and sweet corn growing in the garden. He had never stolen anything in his life before, but if no one was home, he was going to help himself to some vegetables.

"Hello," Harry called loudly as he knocked on the door. "Anyone home?" He waited a couple minutes before calling out again. He called out five more times, but there was still no answer or sound coming from within. Taking a deep breath, he reached out for the handle and turned it, surprised to find that the door wasn't locked.

"Hello," Harry called again as he entered the house. The inside of the house was clean, but looked as though an older couple lived there. The furniture had a dated look to it and the pictures on the wall showed the progression of a newborn all the way to adulthood. There was a vase on the table full of silk flowers and two plates set out as if they were getting ready to sit down to eat.

Harry didn't feel right being in a stranger's home, so he quickly found the kitchen and filled two of his empty bottles full of water. He grew a little concerned when he spotted a bowl of pasta with mold starting to grow on it and a bowl of lettuce that was wilted and brown. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, he decided that it was time to get going. Either the occupants in the house had fled in a hurry, or they became the dinner instead of getting to eat their dinner.

Running down the front steps, he froze when he spotted the garden again. If he had been smart, he would have searched their cabinets for food, but he was picking up a weird vibe and he just wanted to get going. Thinking it was safe and would only take a few minutes, he sprinted to the garden and started to pick some vegetables. He had three tomatoes, a couple squash, and three ears of corn in his bag, when something grabbed his wrist in a bruising grip when he reached for the forth ear of corn.

Stumbling back, Harry screamed and fell backwards when a zombie staggered out from the garden, falling on top of him with it's mouth open and teeth clacking. Frantically he kicked and shoved at the zombie, mindful of its teeth and nails. Finally with a burst of strength, which he was positive was helped by his magic, he was able to toss the dead body off of him and scramble to his feet. He had a second to make out that the zombie was an older female complete with cooking apron on, before it too was back on it's feet and coming after him again.

Pulling out his knife, he whispered a soft apology before plunging it deep into her skull. This zombie was once a wife, loving mother...possibly even a grandmother. What the hell happened that caused people turn into the walking dead? He didn't know if there was anything left of the person inside the zombie, but he hoped to hell if it happened to him, that someone would be merciful enough to put a bullet or knife in his brain.

Looking around, he scooped up his bags and took off at a fast run. He didn't want to hang around and run into grandpa. Unless the old lady ate him, he had to be around somewhere.

***HP

"Point me Harry Potter," Sirius said, holding his wand in his palm. They had been trekking through the woods for a while now after having to shrink his bike when his wand pointed them into the thick woods. "Remus, I know this spell only works on the living, but what if..."

"Don't say it," Remus snarled. "Harry is smart and tough, he hasn't become one of them."

Nodding his head, Sirius returned his wand to his arm holster and took off in the direction that the wand directed him. "I'm sorry, Moony, I know he's alive. After everything he has been through, a few zombies aren't going to get the drop on him. Our pup can handle himself."

Remus didn't say anything. Despite snapping at Sirius, he had doubts of his own. They had come across a lot of zombies and scenes to horrific to describe, how could Harry survive this on his own? He tried not to think about Kingsley warning them against using magic because it attracted the dead. Harry didn't know that and what if he had used his wand and got overpowered? Harry didn't know how to apparate, he was too young to learn. The point me spell only worked on the living, but were the zombies truly dead? They walked, they groaned, they could see, hear and smell, and they sure as hell could eat. Would the spell work if Harry was a zombie?

"Stop it!" Sirius yelled. "You're thinking so damn loud that I can practically hear you. Harry is not one of them!"

Remus nodded his head. "I know. I just..."

Sirius turned and angrily stormed away. "It's going to be dark soon and I want to find my pup before then. Let's go."

With shoulders slumped, Remus silently followed his mate.

***HP

Harry knelt at the streams edge furiously scrubbing at his hands and arms. He was covered in the old lady's zombie goo and the sight of it was making him want to vomit. Right now he was wishing he could put a knife in Merle's skull. If it hadn't been for him, he would be safe with Daryl, not lost and alone in the god forsaken woods of Georgia.

Pulling a tomato from the bag, he washed it off then bit into it. He never much cared for tomatoes, but right now he was starving and would eat just about anything. The tomatoe was super juicy so at least that helped some with his dehydration.

He had to come up with a plan. Merle had probably told Daryl that he had taken off or was dead, and because the cabin was now full of walkers, he was sure that Daryl and Merle had moved on. The thought that Daryl leaving killed him, but he couldn't blame his mate. Merle was his older brother and Daryl was sure to believe whatever he said. It also wasn't safe to stay in one place for too long, so Daryl would have to keep moving. Daryl was a survivor, so he had no doubts that he would make it through this.

Frowning at the darkening sky, he got up and made his way back towards the forest. He was going to have to find another tree to hide up in before it got too dark. He wasn't looking forward to another uncomfortable night tied in a tree, but it sure as hell beat being eaten. He never thought that anything could be more uncomfortable then his small cupboard under the stairs...he was wrong. Thinking back to when Fred, George and Ron flew their dad's flying car to Privet Drive, he prayed that everyone he cared for was safe. Did the zombie problem effect all of the world, or just here in America? Hopefully everyone was safe and hiding behind the wards at Grimmauld or Hogwarts. If the wards protected against magical creatures, then they should also work against zombies.

Wiping a few stray tears from his bloodshot eyes, Harry disappeared into the forest.

***HP

"He has to be around here," Sirius's whispered excitedly. They had just passed a rather large group of zombies and he didn't want risk drawing their attention. So far Kingsley had been correct, the zombies avoided Remus as if he had the plague, and because he stayed close to Remus, the zombies also left him alone. If he ventured just a few short feet from Remus, the zombies were on him before he could even blink. The full moon wasn't for three more weeks, but as far as he was concerned, it couldn't come soon enough. Even shifting to Padfoot wouldn't help, they had passed a zombie feasting on a dog's carcass so it seemed they ate more than just humans.

Remus started scouring the area, nostrils flared trying to catch his pup's scent. The point me spell stopped working and the wand just vibrated in Sirius' hand, which meant that Harry was only a few feet from them. They had hoped to find him before it got dark, but now it was a few hours past dark and they were exhausted and just wanted to find Harry and get home. He didn't doubt that Harry was powerful enough to create an international portkey, though he was concerned about it dangerously draining his magical core. It would be safer on Harry to wait until after his sixteenth birthday and his magical majority to attempt it, but he was worried about remaining here unprotected from the zombies. The safest place for them would be back in the wizarding world behind powerful wards.

Remus froze next to a large tree, picking up the scent of his pup mixed with dirt, blood and tears. "Harry!" he called out, his voice nothing more than a loud whisper.

"Did you find him?" Sirius asked, rushing to his mate's side.

"He's close, I can smell him." Remus circled the tree, frowning when he didn't spot Harry.

"Moony, look!" Sirius cried, pointing up the tree.

"I'll be damned," Remus chuckled, spotting a foot poking out from the leaves.

"I told you my godson was smart, " Sirius crowed excitedly. "Hoist me up so I can get our pup." It would have been much easier using a levitation charm, but he didn't want to attract the attention of the zombies.

Sirius sat on the branch next to the one his godson was sleeping on. The kid was smart to tie himself to the tree so he couldn't fall out. Silently he observed his godson in the moonlight, grimacing at the two large bruises taking up most of one side of his face. He never really noticed before how truly small Harry was or how thin. He looked as though he hadn't had a decent meal since leaving school, and there were large dark circles under his eyes. He felt bad waking him, but he wanted to get him out of the tree and more comfortable.

"Hey, pup," Sirius whispered, giving Harry's shoe a little shake.

Harry's eyes instantly snapped open and he started kicking out at who or whatever was touching him before his eyes could completely focus. Desperately he pulled at the rope around his middle trying to free himself.

"Whoa, easy there, kiddo," Sirius said a little louder, hoping that Harry would recognize his voice. Despite a bit of moonlight shining, it was still pretty dark up in the tree.

Harry stilled, panting hard and heart pounding in his chest. "S-Sirius?" he asked in disbelief.

"The one and only," Sirius chuckled, holding his arms open wide.

Harry frantically worked on the knot then lunged at his godfather as soon as he was free. "Easy there, kiddo, we don't want to fall out of the tree. " Sirius joked, holding Harry tight to his chest.

Harry buried his face in his godfather's neck, crying harder than what he had ever cried before. He honestly thought that he would never see the man again, and he would die out here alone, becoming a meal for some pathetic walker.

"Come on now, everything's alright," Sirius said gently, rubbing his godson's trembling back. Unfortunately he didn't get to spend much time with Harry, but he had never seen his pup so upset. Sirius waited what felt like forever for his pup to calm down, and when he did, Harry still wouldn't loosen the grip he had on him. "Come on, pup, I'm not going anywhere. Can you let go of me now so we can get out of this damn uncomfortable tree. I'm an old man, don't you know?"

Harry shook his head no and clung tighter to his godfather. "I'm afraid it's just a dream and you will disappear if I do."

"Oh, Harry, I'm not going anywhere..promise. Even old Moony is here."

Harry sat back, wiping at his eyes and nose. "You guys came for me?" he asked breathlessly.

"Did you doubt that we would?" Sirius asked frowning.

Harry lowered his eye and shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't want me after the ministry. I thought, now that you were free, you wouldn't want to be stuck with a teenager."

"Merlin's saggy balls, no," Sirius cried, pulling Harry back into a tight hug. "I just wanted to get everything perfect for you. Just wait until you see Grimmauld Place now, and you have your very own room. No more sharing with Ron, I heard that boy's snores all the way from my room."

Harry couldn't stop the onslaught fresh tears. He couldn't believe that Sirius had done all that and even came all the way to America to save him. "I love you so much, Sirius."

"I love you too, pup," Sirius said, unashamed of the tears that escaped his own eyes. "Now, can we please get out of this tree? In case you forgot, my animagus is a dog, not a bird."

No sooner had Harry's feet touched the ground then he was being pulled into a bone crushing hug. "Oh Merlin, Harry, I'm so glad you're alright?" Remus growled affectionately.

Harry tried to stop his third round of tears, but he couldn't. He couldn't believe that Sirius and Remus risked their lives coming all the way here to find him. He didn't even care that the werewolf was crushing his broken rib, he never wanted the man to let him go. He may have only been on his own for two days, but it felt like ages.

"He's not alright, Moony," Sirius said in concern. "He covered in bruises."

Remus quickly pulled back and waved his lit wand in front of Harry. "Harry, what happened? he gasped.

Harry gave Remus a sad smile. "It's more like, what didn't happen." he chuckled darkly.

Remus turned to Sirius. "Put up some wards so the zombies can't get to us. I need to scan Harry." Without waiting for a response, he turned back to Harry and started scanning him for injuries.

Sirius quickly set the wards, just in time too. Remus' lumos had attracted the attention of the local zombies. With Remus being there they probably wouldn't come too close, but he wasn't going to risk it with Harry there. They were safe now, but would have a hell of a time leaving in the morning.

Remus pocketed his wand and started rooting through his bag. "Healing spells aren't my thing, but we have some potions here."

"What's wrong with him?" Sirius asked, sitting on the ground next to Harry and tucking him into his side. Harry looked so scared, lost and lonely sitting there under the tree. He never noticed how much younger than Ron he looked.

"He has two broken ribs, a fractured cheek bone, concussion, multiple bruising and scratches. He's also severely dehydrated and malnourished." Remus wanted to question him more about the malnourishment, because according to his scans, it went back to when he was just a baby, but right now wasn't the time.

Sirius closed his eyes and kissed Harry on the forehead. "I'm so glad we found you."

Harry took the skelegro and pain relieving potion from Remus and quickly downed them. "I can't believe that you guys came all the way here for me."

"Truly!" Sirius gasped, grabbing at his heart. "So little faith in us. Did I not escape from the worlds most infamous prison to save you from Wormtail? Did I not follow you to the ministry and battle my bat shit crazy cousin for you? Harry, we would do anything to protect you."

Harry leaned heavily on Sirius, for some reason feeling groggy. "You shouldn't have though, it's too dangerous."

Remus dug out a sandwich and a butterbear then passed them to Harry. "You need to eat. Pain relieving potions can make you sleepy and nauseous if you take one on an empty stomach."

Harry's stomach growled loudly at the sight of real food. Trying not to snatch, he grabbed the turkey sandwich and tore into it."

"Easy there, pup, we have plenty. Mrs. Weasley made enough food to see us through months and they are all under a preservation charm." Remus chuckled. Shocked at how fast Harry inhaled the food, Remus dug once again in the bag and pulled out a stomach soother.

"M'sorry," Harry mumbled, licking the mayonnaise and turkey grease off of his fingers. "I was starving."

"We can see that," Remus said, handing over the stomach soother. "Why don't you get some rest, you look exhausted." Remus transfigured a rock into a mattress then handed Harry a blanket.

Harry fell onto the mattress with a groan. "Are you sure they can't get us?" he asked, pointing to the group of zombies that was bumping into the wards surrounding them.

Sirius grimaced at the disgusting sight. With a flick of his wand, he made it so they couldn't see outside the wards or the zombies. "You're safe, Harry. Just get some sleep and we will discuss everything in the morning."

Harry's eyes started to drift shut. "Is everyone..." he slurred a bit drunkly.

"Everyone is safe and held up at Grimmauld Place anxiously waiting for our return," Sirius reassured.

Harry tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't cooperate. All he could mutter was, "can't, Daryl," before drifting off to sleep.

*** HP

"There must be twenty of them out there," Sirius whispered, mindful of his still sleeping godson. It was noon the following day and Harry was still out of it. "You think they would have given up and moved on."

"It won't be safe to apparate out of here, especially since we only know a few areas." Remus said with a sigh. "Harry is also in no condition to attempt making an international portkey."

"Guess we can camp here until he's strong enough," Sirius suggested, not really liking the plan all that much.

Remus shook his head no. "We need to find an abandoned house. It looked like everyone was fleeing to Atlanta, so there must be a lot of empty houses. I suggest we find one, set up wards then lay low until Harry is recovered enough to make a portkey."

"Good idea, but how are we going to get past them?" Sirius asked, pointing to the zombies.

"I say we blast them then run like hell," Remus grimaced. He knew that they were no longer people, but the thought of killing them still turned his stomach. They may be grotesque zombies, but they were once people.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled, still partially asleep.

"I'm here, pup," Sirius called out, taking a seat next to Harry and running his fingers through his hair.

Harry grinned sleepily at his godfather. "I thought last night was a dream. I was afraid to open my eyes and find myself still stuck up the tree all alone."

"You're not going to get rid of us that easily," Sirius teased. "Why don't you get up and get something to eat and we will explain everything we know."

As Harry ate his way through two more sandwiches, Sirius and Remus told him everything the knew about the zombies and their desire to turn him into a werewolf. Harry didn't interrupt them until they got to the part about making an international portkey and returning home.

"I-I can't go back," Harry stuttered.

"Harry, if this is about your relatives, I'm sure..."

"I don't care about them. I hope they become zombie chow," Harry angrily snarled, surprising the two men.

"Harry, you don't mean that," Remus softly scolded.

"Yes I do," Harry yelled, jumping to his feet. "It was my uncle who broke my ribs, minutes before throwing me to the zombies so him, my aunt and my cousin could escape."

Sirius paled, he always wondered about his godson's home life. "Harry, was that the first time he hurt you?"

With a growl, Harry jumped to his feet. "It's too late, Sirius, and I don't want to get into this right now. I can make a portkey for you and Remus, but I'm staying." It hurt to say that, he didn't want to be parted from the two men he saw as father figures, but he couldn't leave without Daryl. The thought of being alone again brought tears to his eyes, but he angrily wiped them away with a trembling hand.

"Hey, now," Remus said soothingly, pulling Harry into his strong arms. "What's all this about?" He had an idea of what was going on with his pup, he could smell the other male on him.

Harry wrapped his arms around Remus' waist, soaking in the man's warmth and strength. "I-I found my soul mate, Remus. We got separated a few days ago, but I can't leave without him."

Remus gasped, soul mates were incredibly rare. He had assumed that Harry had his first fling and was just reluctant to leave the other behind. "Pup, are you certain? Finding your soul mate is rare and almost unheard of, even in creatures like me."

Harry nodded his head, face buried in the werewolves' neck. "I felt the pull, even my magic settled around him. He's my soul mate, Remus, and I can't leave without him."

"Shit," Sirius cursed softly. He was thrilled for his godson that he found his soul mate, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. "Harry, not to embarrass you, but did you mate with him? Did you complete the bonding?"

Harry's cheeks flushed a bright red. "Looks like a yes to me," Remus chuckled, giving Harry a reassuring smile. "How are you feeling? The newly unsettled bond must pulling on you to be with him. It normally takes a few months for a soul mate bond to settle."

"I hurt," Harry cried softly. "Everyday the pain gets a little worse in my chest."

Remus stepped back and lifted Harry's shirt up, wincing when he spotted the bruise forming on his chest, right above his heart. "Oh, pup," he sighed, feeling sorry for the small boy. He had hoped that Harry was mistaking his first sexual experience as a soul bond, but the bruising proved that Harry was right. He had found his soul mate and now his soul and magic were calling out for their missing mate.

"We need to know what type of soul bond it is," Sirius said, running his fingers through his long dark hair. He hated seeing proof that his godson was in pain. He knew how horrible he felt after being separated from Remus after he was sent to Azkaban, and their bond had been settled for years.

"There's different types?" Harry asked curiously. He had assumed that all soul mate bonds were the same.

"Yes, there are a few different types," Remus said, going into professor mode. "What Sirius and I have is a creature bond. I knew the minute I saw him on the Hogwarts Express that he was my mate. Unfortunately, he didn't feel the pull until he was sixteen. If he wanted to, he could have ignored the pull and married some other witch or wizard without any consequences to himself, but since I was a creature that had met his mate, I would have been unable to be with anyone else. We are also equal in our bond, meaning there is no dominant or submissive."

"What do you mean by dominant and submissive?" Harry questioned, never having heard the words based in a relationship.

"Well," Sirius said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "In my relationship with Remus, we both take turns topping so there is no one more dominant partner...we are equal. In other relationships though, one partner will be the dominant. That means that he will always be the top, or the one doing the penetrating. It has nothing to do with who is physically or magically stronger, but the dominant normally is bigger and older than the submissive. It's the dominants job to care for, protect and provide for his submissive, even discipline him if he feels his sub need disciplining. The submissive will be the nurturing one, able to carry babies even if they are a male. That doesn't mean they are weaker, a submissive can be one hell of a little spit fire."

Harry blushed and covered his face with his hair. "Being a submissive is nothing to be ashamed of, pup," Sirius said, not at all surprised that his godson was a sub. "Unfortunately though, that does make you more reliant on your dominant and your magic will punish you the longer you are without him. It's going to be extra hard on you since the bond didn't have a chance to settle."

Harry wiped away his tears. "I miss him," he said brokenly.

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find him," Sirius said, rubbing Harry's back. "His magic has to be pulling him towards you too, and the poor kid must be suffering just as much as you."

Harry dropped his head and mumbled something. "What was that, kiddo?" Sirius asked, chuckling at his godson's adorable shyness.

"Daryl isn't exactly a kid, and he's a muggle," Harry answered, blushing.

"That's impossible," Sirius laughed. "A witch or wizard can't share a soul bond with a nonmagical human."

"Since when has the impossible been impossible for our Harry?" Remus said, sending a warning glare at his mate. He could see how bad Harry was hurting and he didn't want Sirius' careless words making it worse. "Harry has always been the exception to the rule."

"True," Sirius said, "but it's going to make finding the kid a hell of a lot harder. The kid will feel an emptiness and longing probably, but he won't have any magic to pull him towards you."

"Daryl's not..."

"We'll find him," Remus quickly added, interrupting Harry with a subtle shake of his head. He didn't miss when Harry said that his mate wasn't a kid, but thankfully Sirius did. If Sirius knew that Harry's mate was an older adult, he'd go all Voldemort on them.

"Of course we will," Sirius grinned. "We have to," he added softly so Harry couldn't hear. If they didn't find the kid soon, then the unsettled bond could severely punish Harry...possibly even kill him.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Harry Potter or the Walking Dead.

PLEASE NOTE, FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T WATCHED WALKING DEAD, THIS CHAPTER MAY BE CONFUSING. THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF TIME SKIPS!

Wow, this is a long one :) Obviously this doesn't follow the Walking Dead series exactly, but it does skim it. Things will take a sharp turn to the left soon because I can't have them wandering zombie land forever when they have somewhere safe to go. Honestly, I don't see this being many more chapters, and since I don't know how the zombies came to be, I will probably be leaving that issue blank.

REVIEW PLEASE!

***HP

Sirius stood behind the couch staring down at his sleeping godson in concern. With a heavy sigh, he picked up a blanket and carefully draped it over the pale boy. "What are we going to do about tomorrow night, Remus?" he asked in a whisper.

Groaning, Remus kicked off his boots and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Even after these past few weeks of going from house to house, he still felt uncomfortable invading someone else's private home. Luckily, right now he was just too exhausted to care. Tomorrow night was the full moon and he was already feeling the effects of it.

Remus looked thoughtfully at Harry. "Sirius, I want to turn him as much as you do, but I honestly think it's too dangerous."

"It's too dangerous for him to be wandering around as zombie bait too," Sirius snapped. "He doesn't even have a wand for crying out loud."

"I know," Remus sighed in exhaustion. He had been going over and over in his head for days on how best to deal with the full moon situation. "Sirius, look at him. The bond is wearing on him, he can barely stay awake for longer than five hours and the bruise on his chest is now the size of a grapefruit. I'm afraid he won't survive the venom, and if he does, then the creature bond could also punish Harry worse for not completing the soul bond."

Sirius deflated. "I know, Remus, I'm just so scared for him. I'm scared if he doesn't get bit, if he doesn't get bit, if he doesn't find his mate, if we don't get back to Grimmauld...I'm just scared."

Remus grabbed Sirius' hand and pulled him down onto his lap. "All we can do is take it one day at a time and be there for Harry. I say tomorrow night we ward this house so not even a mouse can get in at Harry, then you and I go out in the moonlight. With you as an added werewolf, it will give Harry double the protection."

Sirius rested his head on his mate's shoulder. "Sounds like a plan."

Remus kissed his mate on the forehead then squeezed him tight. "Are you scared about tomorrow night?"

Sirius shook his head no, then after a long pause, he nodded. "I'm bloody terrified. Is it going to hurt?"

Remus took a deep breath then loudly exhaled. "The bite will hurt, but I will break the skin just enough for the venom to enter your bloodstream. I'll make sure that you won't be stuck with a large grotesque scar like the one Fenrir Greyback gave me. As the venom travels through your system it will feel like liquid fire. You will be out of it for the night in pain and running a fever. Most of the following day will be about the same as your magic learns to accept the werewolf DNA. By day three you should be feeling a lot better. You will find that your hearing, eyesight and sense of smell will be heightened, you will be stronger, faster and will like your meats on the raw side. You will have the rest of the month to get use to the new you and the presence of your wolf before fully transforming for the first time on the next full moon."

"Well, that doesn't sound so..."

Harry groaned from where he was laying on the couch. "It sounds like a bloody nightmare. Still, it beats having walkers gnaw on you."

"There is that," Sirius said, giving his godson a wink. "How are you feeling, pup?"

Harry slowly sat up, arms weak and trembling. "Better, I just needed some rest."

Sirius frowned, not liking how pale Harry was. They spent all day out in the sun avoiding walkers as they searched for his mate and yet he was as pale as Nearly Headless Nick. "Hopefully the bond will start taking it easy on you now."

Harry grimaced, wiping away at a tear that escaped his swollen eyes. He had been crying a lot lately, Remus had said that it was because his soul was mourning for Daryl. "You don't believe that anymore than I do, Sirius," he said breathlessly.

"No, but I can hope," Sirius said, giving Harry a sad smile. It was killing him watching Harry suffer. If Daryl had been magical, then a simple point me spell would have tracked Daryl down three weeks ago. Unfortunately, point me spells only worked on witches and wizards. "I say we raid this place for food and supplies, then after eating, we get some sleep."

"I second that," Remus moaned, getting to his feet. "We will have to stay here for the next few days, I won't be up to walking and fighting off zombies tomorrow and then Sirius will need time to recover." Remus looked apologetically at Harry. Each day they stayed in one place, Daryl could be getting farther away.

Harry stood up and gave Remus a hug. "It's all right, I need the rest too." It was true, the bond was effecting him more than he was letting on. Each day was becoming more of a struggle, he needed Daryl, and it wasn't just because of the bond. He missed Daryl so much and he would give anything to be with him.

***HP

Daryl stared in horror at his brother's severed hand still dangling from the handcuff. Things had never been the same between them after Harry, but he would never wish anything that horrible on him. He had no doubts that Merle was still alive, he was a survivor and a mean son of a bitch. It would take a whole lot more than some walkers and a missing hand to take him down. Still, he couldn't imagine how horrible it was to saw off your own hand.

The thought of his sweet Harry caused a sharp pain to lance through his heart. Why did it still hurt so much after all these weeks? If he was being honest with himself, the pain had gotten even worse. It was causing him to lash out at people and close himself off...not that that was any different than how he normally was, but the loss of Harry still made it worse. His dreams at night were filled with Harry's smiling face and sparkling emerald eyes. That was the reason why he slept so far from everyone else, he didn't want them to hear him cry out in his sleep.

"Daryl."

Daryl looked up their newest member and possible leader, Rick Grimes. He also happened to be the man that handcuffed his brother to the roof.

"We need to go for the guns," Rick said, grabbing the bag of tools that had gotten left behind earlier.

Sneering, Daryl turned and followed his brother's blood trail. Deep down he may blame Merle for Harry's death, but Merle was his brother and he had to find him. He had a hard time believing that Harry wouldn't listen to Merle and that Merle wasn't strong enough to protect Harry, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Harry was gone...he couldn't lose Merle too.

***HP

"I thought you said that the bite wouldn't hurt?" Sirius pouted, sipping on a Butterbeer. He was sitting up in bed, propped up by pillows and being fussed over by his mate. To his left sleeping soundly in the same bed was his precious godson.

Remus shook his head at his mate. "No, I said it would hurt, but I wouldn't leave a bad scar. How are you feeling?"

Sirius's handed Remus his empty bottle of Butterbeer. "My throat hurts from all the screaming and my bite mark feels funny, but other than that I feel pretty good." It was true, he was feeling stronger than what he had felt in a long time. Azkaban took a lot out of him, he was never physically healthy afterwards.

"The bite mark will tingle for a while, but it will lessen after your first transformation."

Sirius looked down at Harry and softly ran his fingers through his long inky hair. "How has he been?"

"The same," Remus sighed. "If you're up to it, I'd like to get moving first thing tomorrow. We need to find Daryl before we lose him."

"If you wanted, I could be up and ready to go in an hour," Sirius said with determination.

Smiling, Remus caressed his mate's cheek. He didn't know if it was the lighting or what, but Sirius looked so much healthier. It killed him watching Sirius go through such a painful change. After biting him, Moony laid at his side all night long crying. "Rest, you need it and so does Harry. He took care of both of us after the full moon and helped me with you yesterday."

Yawning, Sirius scooted back down onto the bed and snuggled up behind his godson. "Rest sounds good. Why don't you join us?"

Chuckling, Remus kicked off his pants and climbed in behind Sirius. "Remus?" Sirius whispered.

"Hmm," Remus mumbled sleepily.

"Why do I feel a hundred times more protective of Harry?"

Remus kissed the back of his mate's neck. "Your wolf sees Harry as your cub, or pup. You have always thought of Harry as your son, your wolf is just strengthening that bond."

"Has it always felt this strong for you?"

"Yes," Remus whispered sadly. "That's why I was so sick until Harry came back into my life. If wasn't the lychanthropy that was prematurely aging me and making me sick, it was the loss of my mate and cub. Every full moon was excruciatingly painful for me because Moony was punishing me for losing the two of you."

Sirius turned around and looked his mate sadly in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I..."

Remus quieted his mate by kissing him on the lips. "I should be the one that's saying their sorry. I should have tried harder to make everyone believe that you were innocent, but I was just a dangerous dark creature, Albus wouldn't even listen to me."

"It's over and in the past. Right now it's all about Harry and keeping him safe and finding that kid."

Remus internally groaned. He never asked Harry how old Daryl was, but he had a feeling that he was considerably older. For some reason he didn't see Harry being with someone closer to his own age, not after everything he had been through. Harry needed someone that could protect and provide for him. He just prayed that Daryl was only in his early twenties, he didn't think he couldn't handle it he was older...Sirius surely couldn't. As far as Sirius was concerned, no one was good enough for his Harry. If Daryl was a lot older, Sirius would hit the roof.

"Go to sleep, my love. I think in the morning we need to find a car so we can cover more ground. Unfortunately, we all won't fit on your bike."

Sirius gave a big mischievous grin. "Can I drive?"

"Why not?" Remus said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like the roads will be filled with hundreds of other commuters. "Just promise me you will take it slow until you get the hang of it? None of us have ever driven a car before."

Sirius grinned from ear to ear then gave Remus a passionate kissing before rolling back over and snuggling behind Harry. With a groan, Remus closed his eyes. He didn't miss how Sirius didn't make a promise to go slow. He had a feeling that he was going to be in for one hell of a day tomorrow.

***HP

Daryl wrapped his arms tightly around Carol's waist as he held her to the ground as she screamed and cried. He wished that he too could scream... scream and curse god for the unfairness of it all. He had prayed and had faith that they were going to find little Sophia alive. He had never been a religious person before, but he had put what little faith that he had in finding her alive and well.

Sophia had painfully reminded him of his Harry. Like Harry, she had been abused and tended to be shy and quiet, but when given a little attention, her eyes would light up and sparkle with excitement. At first he tried to distance himself from Carol and her daughter, but he had come to admire Carol's growing strength and stubbornness and Sophia's shyness and sweetness.

He had desperately needed something to go right for once, something to give him the strength to keep going and not just say fuck it all. Sophia was so good and sweet, she didn't deserve what happened to her.

Daryl gripped Carol even tighter when Rick slowly walked past them, a look of horror and pain on his face. He understood what the man must be feeling, he had been blaming himself all along for leaving Sophia alone. Rick also had a son Sophia's age, he was probably picturing Carl in Sophia's place.

Daryl closed his eyes and dropped his head on Carol's shoulder, he didn't want to watch Rick shoot the little girl, now zombie. He had never asked Merle if Harry had died from the bite to the neck of if he had put Harry out of his misery. As much as he didn't want to think of his sweet Harry buried in a quickly dug, unmarked grave, it was better than thinking of him as a walker. Harry was everything that was good and light...he could never be a zombie.

***HP

"Harry, let me see your chest," Sirius ordered sternly. He could tell that Harry was in a great deal of pain, but he was being a stubborn little Gryffindor.

Harry gave Sirius a reassuring smile. "Siri, I'm fine. I just got a little winded."

Sirius raised one eyebrow and glared at his pup. "Tonight is the full moon and I don't want to risk hurting you when I tackle you to lift up your shirt. Please, let me have a look." This would be his fifth transformation and he was really looking forward to it. Unlike Remus, he had instantly accepted and embraced his wolf. Yes, the transformations hurt like hell, but it was bearable. He loved his wolf and running free with his mate. He could run as Padfoot, but Moony always had to be careful not to hurt the smaller and weaker dog.

"Are you going walker hunting tonight?" Harry asked, hoping to distract his godfather. Not that he saw Sirius and Remus as godfathers anymore. As far as he was concerned, they were his dads. He knew for a fact that he would have never lasted this long without them. The two men loved him unconditionally, and he felt the same about them. He felt bad that just a few months ago he had doubted their love.

Sirius sighed. "Of course, I have a bet with Remus that Slayer can take down more walkers than Moony. Now, lift up your damn shirt before I stun you."

Harry stuck his bottom lip out in a fake pout. "You know, a simple Petrificus Totalus would suffice, you don't have to go all stun crazy on me. And really, are you honestly going to stick with the name Slayer for your wolf?"

Sirius smirked. "It's an awesome name and it totally fits. Slaying walkers is what he does...hence Slayer. Shirt now!" he growled.

Sighing, Harry reluctantly lifted his shirt and turned his head so he couldn't see the expression on his godfather's face.

"Fuck me!" Sirius cried. "Remus, get your hairy ass out here!" he screamed.

"I didn't need to know that," Harry mumbled numbly. "I could have also done without that image that just popped up in my head."

Remus came flying out of the house that he had been clearing. Harry needed a safe place to stay tonight while they transformed, but it was getting harder to find homes that didn't have walkers or rotting bodies in them. They had even ran into a few survivors along the way, unfortunately not the friendly kind. Fear and desperation brought out the worst in people.

"What's the matter?" Remus panted, holding his wand tightly in his hand and looking for the danger.

"This!" Sirius cried, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and spinning him around.

Remus gasped, dropping his wand in shock. From Harry's collar bones to his belly button was black and blue, and the skin above his heart was turning a reddish black. Gently grabbing Harry, he pulled him into a hug while looking over his shoulder at his silently crying mate. It seemed everyday Harry was getting weaker, but this was by far the worst his chest had been. They desperately had to find Daryl.

Feeling Harry go limp in his arms, he looked down to see that he had passed out. It wasn't the first time that it had happened, but it still scared the shit out of him. Scooping him up, he signaled for Sirius to follow him.

"I don't want to leave him tonight," Sirius said, waving his wand over the couch and cleaning it.

"Neither do I, but we don't have a choice," Remus sighed, gently laying Harry down and brushing his long hair out of his face.

"I can't believe we haven't found his soul mate yet. Harry is getting worse, I don't think he has much more time."

Remus looked at his mate with pain filled eyes. "I give him only a few more months."

Sirius collapsed in the chair behind him feeling like his heart was being ripped out. His wolf was howling in despair, trying to claw it's way out. He couldn't lose Harry...he couldn't lose his son.

***HP

Moaning, Harry rolled over trying to ignore the tapping sound that was gradually getting louder. He had been up most the night worried about Remus and Sirius running around in their wolf forms. He knew they were safe against the walkers, it was the trigger happy humans that worried him. Hell, even Daryl would probably put an arrow in them and eat them. Food was getting sparse, even for them. It wasn't until after getting them settled in bed early this morning that he was finally able to fall into a deep sleep.

Cursing and rolling out of bed, he decided to look for what was causing the banging. It couldn't be a walker, unless they developed a way to get through their wards. Just the thought of that sent chills down his spine. Thanks to their magic, they had it relatively easy compared to the nonmagical people. They did have plenty of close calls, especially him since he wasn't a werewolf, but at the end of the night they were able to erect wards and get a somewhat peaceful night's sleep.

Following the tapping to the window, he froze at what he saw. Briskly rubbing his eyes and blinking away the last traces of sleep, he stared again at the window in shock and disbelief. "Hedwig!" he cried breathlessly. Hedwig cocked her head to the side and gave him a look that clearly said, 'well, let me the hell in.'

It took a minute or two for him to get the old rusted window open, but the second he did, Hedwig soared through the window and landed on his shoulder. With her beak, she affectionately started nibbling on his ear, neck and cheek while softly trilling at him.

"Oh Merlin, my beautiful Hedwig, I missed you so much," Harry cried, tears in his eyes. "I can't believe you flew all the way here." Sitting down, he gently placed the snowy white owl on his lap so he could inspect her. Hedwig preened under the attention, enjoying her master's fingers running through her delicate feathers. "You shouldn't have come, beautiful, it's too dangerous." Harry chuckled when Hedwid gave him a sharp nip on the knuckle. "I know, you're too smart to get caught. I just worry."

Only after making sure his Hedwig was in good health and getting her settled with some food and water, did Harry pick up the letter and small package that he had removed from her leg. A thill of excitement raced through him at the thought of hearing from home. It felt like years since he last saw everybody. He felt bad that he hadn't even given those he considered family much thought lately, but they had been busy trying to find Daryl and exhausting themselves everyday to the point of passing out at night.

"What did you find, pup?" Remus asked, shuffling into the kitchen. "Merlin I wish we weren't out of pain potions," he mumbled, collapsing in a chair and resting his head on the table. He had always spent the day after the full moon sore, but ever since taking up Zombie hunting, he was doubly sore the following morning. Moony loved it though, he was finally allowed free rein to hunt and kill.

Grinning, Harry pointed to where Hedwig was sleeping with her head tucked under her wing. "Hedwig!" Remus gasped, staring at the owl in awe.

"She's the smartest bird in the world," Harry said proudly, giggling when said bird hooted sleepily.

"That she is," Remus chuckled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open the letter and package," he said excitedly. He was hoping that there was some chocolate in the package. Chocolate always helped ease the aches and pains after the full moon and he had ran out two months ago. They had actually just recently ran out of food and were living off can goods that they had found while raiding the abandoned homes.

Excited, yet at the same time nervous, Harry tore open the letter. He couldn't wait to see who it was from and get news from home, but he was also scared that the news wasn't going to be all good. What if something happened to someone he cared about? With a deep breath, he opened the letter and read it out loud.

Dear Harry,

You better have a damn good reason for not returning? Did Remus and Sirius find you? They left months ago to find you and bring you back home. Everyone here has been worried sick over you guys. Fred and George have been threatening to find Mr. Weasley's car in the Forbidden Forest and fly all the way to America to get you and bring you back home. I was scared to send Hedwig out, but she started harassing me about a month ago, so I figured that she was planning on finding you and wanted me to send a letter and supplies.

Despite everything that's going on, school started up as usual on September 1st. It's really weird being here without you, Ron has been moping about being stuck with only me. All our friends returned safely, even the muggle borns. Dean said that professor Dumbledore showed up at his house right as everything started and offered him and his family sanctuary in the wizarding world. He said that all of the professors were going around and gathering up those students who lived in the muggle world and were bringing them back. They have been building homes in Hogsmeade to accommodate all the extra people and have been setting up wards in other villages so the dead can't get in. I feel horrible about the rest of the muggles, but Dumbledore said that all we can do is save the one that we can, and say a prayer for the ones that we can't.

The Ministry and the Order have been secretly helping the muggles. Everyday they send out people to hunt the zombies and offer food, water and shelter to survivors. They have been setting up safe zones that they warded for survivors to go to where they can farm their own food and stay until this mess is resolved. They made it so muggles think that there are large walls around the perimeter. Narcissa Malfoy has even started an orphanage for muggle children where she actually works with the help of Molly. Never thought the day would come where Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley would work happily side by side.

I hope you are safe and with Remus and Sirius. If you can, please write back to me. I have had many sleepless nights worrying about you. When I informed everyone that I was writing to you, everyone pitched in to send you supplies...even Professor Snape. I love you Harry and will be anxiously awaiting your owl.

Love

Hermione

With tears in his eyes, Harry smiled at Remus. "Everyone is alive!"

"Who's alive?" Sirius asked, making his way into the kitchen.

Jumping up, Harry gave his godfather a hug then handed him the letter. "Please let there be some food," he giggled, turning around and handing the box to Remus so he could enlarge it. They had been living off of cold soup for a while now and it felt like his stomach was starting to eat itself. Harry gasped and stumbled back when the box enlarged to be as tall as the table and almost as long.

"I love magic," Harry grinned.

"Who would have thought that Cissa would have stepped up?" Sirius chuckled, placing the letter on the table and peering over his godson's shoulder to see what goodies they got.

"Hermione," Harry moaned, pulling out the complete set of his sixth year school books. "When the hell am I going to have time to study? Besides, I don't even have a wand."

"That girl would be studying on her death bed," Remus said affectionately.

Shaking his head, Harry continued to pull everything out of the box. Pulling out three smaller boxes, Harry opened them and gave a whoop of joy. The three boxes were stuffed full of shrunken and preserved food, deserts, pumpkin juice and Butterbeer.

"There's got to be enough there to last us six months," Sirius exclaimed, grabbing a meat pie, enlarging it and casting a heating charm over it. "Oh, it smells like Molly's cooking."

Peeking inside another separate box, Harry grinned then handed it to Remus. "I think you and Sirius can use this today."

Tapping his wand and enlarging the box, Remus was thrilled to see dozens of potion vials. "Pain relievers, stomach soothers, dreamless sleep, fever reducers, bruise salves, skele gro...I can't believe Severus sent all this." Remus handed both Sirius and Harry a pain reliever before taking one for himself.

Harry wanted to hand the pain reliever back, not wanting Remus and Sirius to see how bad he hurt, but he couldn't pass up the chance for relief. Maybe with some food in their bellies and relief from their constant pain, they could cover more ground faster and find Daryl.

"Who would send socks?" Sirius asked incredulously, holding up a large box of at least three dozen different colored socks.

Harry was laughing so hard that he had tears rolling down his cheeks. "D-Dumbledore."

"Should have guessed," Sirius groaned, tossing a pair of bright pink socks in Harry's face.

Remus picked up a bright red Phoenix feather that was under the bag of socks. "That's not all he sent he sent us," he whispered.

With a trembling hand, Sirius took the feather from his mate. "Is this a..."

"Portkey," Remus finished. Harry came into a powerful magical boost on his sixteenth birthday, but the bond was keeping him too weak to attempt making a portkey. The added drain on his magic would most likely kill him.

"It's only for three though," Sirius said, slightly deflating. International portkeys were made to transport only a certain number of people since it took so much magic to create them. They would need one for four people once they found his pup's mate.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "That's good though. After we find Daryl and get my strength back, I will only need to make a portkey for one. That will be a lot easier and less of a drain on my magic."

"You still need your wand," Remus reminded. Harry had been practicing using their wands, but none of his spells were powerful enough with them. There was no way that he could make a portkey with their wand.

"Maybe someone can get my wand from the Dursley's or Dumbledore can send another portkey." Harry suggested.

"When Hedwig is well rested, you can send her back with a letter," Remus said. He prayed that this miracle box would lift all their spirits and give them the strength to keep going. Everyday was a struggle for Harry, and watching him suffer was killing them.

***HP

Carol watched as Daryl drove through the prison gates with his bow on his back and a deer carcass draped across the bike behind him. She really liked the strong, silent man. He didn't look like he would be a kind and generous man, but he truly was. He had warmed up a lot to them over the past months, especially after little Ass Kicker arrived. He adored that little girl and was normally first to volunteer feeding her when Beth needed a break. It was sad that Rick was losing and not able to properly look after the baby, he was a good man and both his kids needed him. Hopefully he would snap out of it soon, they all needed him to be their leader.

Carol smiled and shook her head when Daryl stopped the bike right next to her and got off. She wished that he would make a move on her or something. She didn't know how to flirt or make herself pretty. Her late husband abused her and only let her wear plain clothes and no make up. She really liked Daryl though and she wanted to be with him. There were a few times where she felt that he wanted to kiss her, but then he would get a painful look on his face and stormed off.

"Looks like we will be eating good tonight," Carol said, giving Daryl a warm smile.

"It will be good to have a full belly for a change," Daryl said, purposely bumping Carol's shoulder as he walked by. He really liked Carol and could have seen himself with her, but not after Harry. No matter how hard her tried, he couldn't get over his green eyed boy. His heart still ached painfully for his little brat. They had only had a short time together, why couldn't he just move the fuck on?

Carol watched sadly as Daryl got that sad look on his face and stormed off. She didn't know what she could to do to help him or get his attention, and it wasn't like she could run out to Walmart and buy a pretty dress and makeup. All she could do was be there for him, offer him her friendship, and hope he eventually came around. Daryl had a code, and the world needed more men like him.

Looking around for help with the deer, she couldn't help but wonder what was taking Glenn and Maggie so long on their formula run. They had left hours ago and it wasn't like them to stay away so long. The prison was the safest place that they had found so far and she was praying that this would be their home.

***HP

Sirius rolled Harry onto his side as his body convulsed. "This is the worst one yet, Remus," he said, heart feeling like it was shattering into a million pieces. It had been two months since the arrival of Hedwig and Harry had gotten progressively worse. They knew that it wouldn't be long now before they lost him. Most days they carried him from location to location because he was too weak to stand on his own.

"Maybe we should have stayed at Woodbury," Remus said sadly, wiping the drool from Harry's chin and face. The seizures had started a month ago and they left Harry completely drained.

Sirius grimaced. "No, there was seriously something not right with that place and the Governor. Besides, Daryl wasn't there." They had only spent a few hours at Woodbury, but he didn't like the vibe he got from the place.

"What are we going to do now? Harry won't come back around for a few more hours and it's going to be dark soon."

Sirius relaxed some when Harry's twitching and whimpering stopped. He looked so small and frail laying there in the grass. "I heard that big black man Tyreese and his sister talking about an abandoned prison up the road that some survivors had taken over, maybe they will offer us sanctuary for the night. It doesn't look like there are any houses between here and there."

Even though Remus heard that the people in the prison weren't the friendliest lot, they didn't have any other options. They needed to get Harry in for the night and safe. After one of his seizures, Harry was normally out cold for a good five to six hours.

"Alright, but we observe them first before approaching," Remus said, easily scooping up Harry and following Sirius. Harry had already been too thin before the issue with the bond, but now he was down to skin and bones. It had taken a while to get the complete story of Harry's past, but when they did, he had to physically restrain Sirius from hunting Harry's relatives down. He hoped to Merlin that they ended up zombie chow.

***HP

"Where are you going?" Merle yelled.

"Back where I belong," Daryl snapped, never turning around to look at his brother. He was happy that Merle was still alive, but his attitude had only gotten worse after working for the Governor and doing his dirty work. He had left Rick and the group to be with Merle, but now he realized that that was a big mistake. He belonged with the group, they needed him and they were like family to him now.

Daryl was surprised that Merle followed him back to the prison, after all, he tried to kill Michonne and beat the shit out of Glenn. Hopefully their fight made Merle see the light and he would apologize to the group. He knew it wouldn't be as easy as all that, but he would like for Merle to be part of their group. He had lost Harry, Merle was all he had.

*** HP

"We're not taking anyone in," Rick said, eyeing up the three people on the other side of the prison fence. He found it very strange that the walkers weren't bothering them. Hell, they were moving away from them.

"Please, we're not looking to stay, just a safe place to pass the night. There are no house close to here," Sirius pleaded.

Rick pointed to the boy that the brown haired man was holding. "The boy, has he been bit?"

"No," Remus quickly answered. "He has epilepsy and he had a seizure a few miles back." It wasn't exactly a lie, Harry did just have a seizure.

Rick clenched his jaw tightly. He hated turning people away, especially a sick kid, but trusting strangers had gotten some of their group killed...including his wife. His priority had to be to his children and his group.

"I'm sorry. If you get moving now, there's a small town about eight miles away." Rick pointed in the direction that they needed to go.

"Rick, he's just a boy," Hershel said, disapproval evident in his voice.

"Yeah, but they're not," Rick snapped, pointing to the two strangers.

"Rick, that child is just a few years older then your Carl, and only a few years younger than my Beth. They are only asking for night." Hershel argued. He couldn't in good conscience turn away a sick child.

Turning his back to the strangers, Rick took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I just can't," he said, turning back around.

"What if we lock them up away from everyone else, where we held Tyreese and his group? I will take full responsibility for them. Let me check the boy over, I am a doctor." Hershel pleaded.

"You're a vet..."

"Who saved your son after he got shot and have been patching the rest of you up since. I remember when it was you begging for a safe place for your family," Hershel reminded.

Rick dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hershel, this is different. I have to keep everyone safe."

"Are we having a little get together here and no one invited Merle?" Merle grinned, cockily striding up to the group. He was getting ready to take Michonne to the Governor when he spotted something going on.

"Merle, this is none of your business," Rick snapped angrily. "You're only here because of your brother. If you put on foot out of line..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it sheriff." Merle grinned. "So, is there anything old Merle can help you out with?" He was hoping to get them moved before anyone noticed Michonne tied up in the car. He may not like these people, but his brother did. If handing over that woman to the Governor stopped him from attacking, then he had no qualms about doing it. God knows Rick didn't have the balls to go through with it. He was too much of a good guy to hand Michonne over to someone who would slowly and painfully torture her before killing her.

Sirius watched the two men interact, it was obvious that they despised each other. He got the feeling that the Rick fellow was actually a good guy, but circumstances had hardened him and caused him to do things that he never would have done before the zombie apocalypse. He was a man with a family and there was nothing he wouldn't do to protect them.

"Please, just for the night and we will be gone first light." Sirius tried pleading again.

Merle walked up to the fence so he could get a good look at the strangers. "Well ain't that the bitch?" he chuckled when he spotted his brother's little fuck boy unconscious in the older man's arms. He didn't think the boy would have survived a day after he knocked him out and hid him.

Shaking his head, Merle turned back to Rick. "Turning away a sick boy when all they are asking for is a safe place to stay the night. I'm proud of you, boss, you're turning out like me more and more each day. You're a far cry from that boy scout I met over a year ago." He may have not wanted his brother to be gay, but he could see how much Daryl was missing that boy. He also had a feeling he wasn't going to survive meeting up with the Governor, and Daryl was going to need someone to look after him and love him. Knowing that there was no way Rick would turn them away now, he walked back towards the car whistling.

"Dammit," Rick cursed, unlocking the gate. He didn't want to be compared to Merle, he had been a cop and damn good one at that. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and sadly it didn't always bring out the best in people. He just wanted to keep his family safe. "If you want entrance, you will have to hand your bags and any weapons you have over to Hershel. We won't steal anything, it just strictly a safety precaution."

With a loud sigh of relief, Remus and Sirius did as asked. They each had their wands under a disillusionment charm so they didn't have to worry about them finding them, and being unprotected incase they decided to attack.

"As this is a prison, you will be locked in a cell together for the night, but we will provide beds, blankets and food. Hershel here will even check your boy, he's a doctor."

Sirius tensed at the thought of being locked in a cell, it was too much like Azkaban. "Thank you," Remus said, giving his mate a reassuring nudge. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know what was going through his mate's head. "As long as we're together, we'll be fine," he whispered so only Sirius with his sensitive wolf hearing could hear.

Merle stood by the car watching as the boy got carried into the prison. He wasn't going to tell Daryl, if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. If the Governor didn't kill him, then his brother surely would when the boy told him the truth. He knew his brother was good despite his upbringing, and he had a soft heart, but even he wouldn't forgive him for what he did. With one last look back at the prison, he got in the car with a tied and gagged Michonne and drove off.

***HP

Carol quickly made the bed for the newcomers, well actually for the boy. He wasn't looking so good and she had to keep checking to see if she could see his chest moving. The last thing they needed was a walker on the lose in the prison.

"How old is the child?" Hershel asked, thinking his first assumption was wrong. When the man had been holding him he thought the boy was fourteen or fifteen, but now that he was laid out on the bed, he looked a few years younger.

"Sixteen," Sirius answered, hovering over his godson.

Hershel's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't say anything. The boy didn't look remotely close to sixteen. Unfortunately, he did look like he was going to be taking his last breath soon. His breathing was incredibly shallow and he was clammy and cold to the touch. "Are you his father?" he asked the dark haired man.

"As good as," Sirius whispered, blinking away his tears. He had a feeling that his pup wouldn't be leaving the prison alive.

"He's the son of our best friends and he's also our godson," Remus added softly.

Nodding to the men that obviously cared very deeply for the boy, Hershel started evaluating him to see if he could help...which he already knew that he couldn't.

***HP

Rick dropped the strangers bags then went to go check on his children. It had been a long day and he had a tough decision to make. The Governor had promised to leave them in peace if he handed over Machonne. He didn't really know Michonne, but he knew that he would be sending her to her death, and he didn't think he could live like that. He was an excellent judge of character and he could see in the Governors eyes that he wouldn't honor his word. Still, he would explain everything to the group and let them decide.

"Hey, have you seen Merle?" Daryl asked, quickly walking up to Rick. He was trying to keep a close eye on Merle so he didn't cause any trouble.

Nodding his head, Rick bent down and picked up the bags. "Yeah, the bastard tricked me into letting two guys and a sick kid in for the night. Hershel and Carol are with them now checking over the boy."

"That doesn't sound like Merle," Daryl snorted. "Hey, are Carol and Hershel safe alone with them?"

Hoisting the bags up higher, Rick smirked. "Carol has become a better shot than me, I'm not worried about them. Besides, I took their weapons and bags."

Daryl looked at the bags, his eyes locking in on one particular bag. It felt as though someone had just dumped ice down his back. For two days he had teased his brat about that weird symbol on the front of his bag. Harry had said it was his school crest, but he had never seen anything that odd as a school crest before. There were four animals on the crest and they weren't your normal school mascots...except maybe the lion. The other three mascots were a snake, a badger and a raven. He had questioned Harry, but he had just laughed and said it was a weird British thing.

Quick as lightning, Daryl reached out and snatched Harry's bag from Rick. Opening it up, he pulled out a shirt that had once belonged to him and was one of his favorites. The last he had seen of it Harry had been sleeping in it after a long round of sex. Harry had said that he liked how it felt and it made him feel closer to him. Despite it being his favorite shirt, he let his boy wear it because it looked hot as hell on him.

"Daryl, is everything all right?" Rick asked in concern for his friend. Daryl had went deathly pale and the hand holding the shirt was shaking.

Daryl shook his head trying to wrap his brain around everything. Someone stumbling across Harry's bag and taking it was possible, but not having the shirt that he was killed in. He knew for a fact that it was his, it even had the hole in the lower left corner from when he had dropped his cigarette on it.

"Where did you put the people who had this?" Daryl growled dangerously.

"Daryl, what's going on?" Rick questioned.

Dropping the bag, Daryl grabbed Rick by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Where all they dammit?" He roared. A couple different explanations popped up in his head and he was feeling a mix of fear, anger, sadness, excitement and desperation. Had his sweet brat become a walker, digging himself out of the grave? He had died before they knew to destroy the brain of those that even died of natural causes. Had some animal dug up his boy and a passerby stripped him of his clothes? The one the terrified him the most but also angered him and left him desperately praying it was true...had Merle lied to him about Harry's death?

Momentarily shocked at Daryl's anger, Rick opened his mouth to answer when a blood curdling scream stopped him.

***HP

Hershel stood up and looked at the two anxious men. "Rick was correct when he said that I was an animal doctor, but I'm also well educated in human medicine. Your boy, I'm sad to say, isn't going to make it much longer and there is nothing I can do to help. His breathing is shallow, his temperature is way below normal, his pulse is weak and there just doesn't seem to be any fight left in him. Seizures aren't normally fatal unless there is an underlining condition causing them, such as a tumor in the brain. With how malnourished he is, despite having food as you say, his progressive weakness, the bruising easily, evident by the massive bruise on his chest...I would say that he is succumbing to cancer. I'm sorry, I only give him a few more hours at the most!"

Carol turned her head, unable to look at the pain in the mens eyes. You never get over losing a child. The pain never leaves you or gets better, you just learn to live with it. She didn't know this boy or these men, but she still felt for them. The only thing that helped her sleep better at night was knowing that Sophia was in a better place and not having to live through the horrors anymore that they were.

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius, supporting him as his legs gave out. They knew Harry was dying, they had known it for a long time, but it still didn't lessen the pain. They had prayed for a miracle, and if Daryl would have been a wizard, then they would have gotten one.

"Shit," Hershel cursed as the boy started seizing again. He hated this, why couldn't the boy just slip away peacefully and make it easier on his loved ones?

Remus and Sirius rushed to Harry's side, begging and pleading with him to hold on. They could feel his magic lashing out in a desperate last attempt to find their mate. They hoped that the two muggles couldn't feel it, but right now they only cared about Harry.

"Please, pup, please hold on," Sirius pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Moony and I can't lose you, we need you."

Harry's back arched painfully off the bed and he let out a blood curdling scream, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. Sirius reached out for him, but someone grabbed him from behind and easily tossed him across the room and into the bars. Remus spun around to fight off the attacker, but before he could move, he too found himself slumped on the ground next to his mate with a painful knot forming on his head from where it made contact with the bars.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Daryl screamed, grabbing his boy's upper half and hugging it to his chest. As soon as he heard the screams, he knew that it was his Harry. "I'll kill you for this!"

"Daryl!" Rick yelled, "what is the meaning of this?" He had never seen Daryl act this way. Obviously he knew the boy, he had never seen him react over someone in such a way.

"He's mine," Daryl muttered, burying his face in Harry's neck. "He's mine." He couldn't believe that he was sitting here holding his brat...that Harry had been alive all this time. He let out a cry of anguish when it dawned on him that Harry had been alone and scared all this time. He had promised him that he would look after and protect him.

Sirius angrily jumped to his feet ready to attack the man that attacked them and was pawing all over his godson. He had only made it two steps before familiar strong arms wrapped around his waist stopping him.

"Sirius, stop!" Remus hissed in his mate's ear. "Didn't you hear? That's our pup's Daryl."

"What?" Sirius snarled. "He's as old as..."

"He's Harry's soul mate. Who gives a shit how old he is? Our pup will make it now," Remus grunted, holding onto Sirius tighter. He had hoped that Daryl was only in his twenties, but he looked to be as old as them.

Sirius sagged against Remus, resting his head on his shoulder. He was right, as long as Harry made it, who cared how old Daryl was? He could see that the man loved his pup, and in the end, that was all that really mattered. It still wasn't going to stop him from threatening him to hell and back if he ever hurt his godson.

Daryl gently tilted Harry's head back so he could get a good look at his face. What he saw damn near killed him. Harry's face was never round and filled out thanks to his relatives starving him, but now he looked damn near skeletal. He was so pale that he was almost transparent, with prominent blue veins visible and large dark circles under his eyes. It was the sight of the blood running from his nose and mouth that finally brought on the tears.

"What's wrong with him?" Daryl asked, calmer and more in control of himself. Harry was back in his arms where he belonged and he was never going to let him go again...well, except for when he killed his brother. Merle didn't want them together so he had left Harry alone in the woods and faked his death. He knew that there was no way in hell that Harry would ever willingly leave him, so that meant that Merle had to have done something to him. Merle had to have hurt his precious boy.

"I believe that he's dying from cancer," Hershel answered sadly, looking just as confused as Rick and Carol. How can this boy be Daryl's? Was he his father?

"No," Daryl said, adamantly shaking his head. There was no way that Harry had cancer and was leaving him again...he wouldn't allow it. "No!" he screamed a little bit louder.

"Daryl, I'm sorry, but he's dying," Hershel said softly. "He only has a few hours left."

"Shut up!" Daryl screamed, voice echoing throughout the prison. No one had yet noticed that the commotion had attracted the rest of the group. Beth was clinging to Judith, Maggie had her arms around Carl and Glenn had his around Maggie.

Ricky carefully approached Daryl and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Daryl, is he related to you?" he asked softly.

Shrugging off the unwanted hand, Daryl snorted. "No, he isn't, but he's mine. Merle told me that walkers killed him before we met up with everyone."

The only ones who noticed a difference in Harry was Sirius and Remus. He had stopped bleeding from the nose and mouth and he was no longer convulsing. If you looked closely, you could see that he was breathing easier and normal and his cheeks were pinking up. They could also feel his magic wrapping around Daryl, desperately clinging to him.

Remus stepped forward clearing his throat. "We have been looking for you. Can we talk privately?"

"Who the hell are you? If you hurt one hair on his head, I will tear you apart piece by piece then chain your undead asses up and use you for target practice whenever I get bored."

"We're Harry's godfathers," Sirius said, finally gaining his voice. "We came looking for him when everything went down. We found him a few days after he got separated from you."

"Sirius and Remus right?" Daryl grunted. "You came all the way from England for him?" Harry had talked a lot about these two men, he was relieved that Harry wasn't alone the entire time.

"We would do anything for him," Remus answered. "Can we please talk to you alone?"

"No," Rick said, stepping slightly between Daryl and the stranger. Something strange was going on here, he knew that he would end up regretting letting them in. "If Merle didn't want the boy near you, then why did he guilt me into letting them in?"

"Maybe Merle had a change of heart?" Carol suggested.

"My brother doesn't have a heart," Daryl snarled, scooping Harry up into his arms. "Follow me," he said, looking to Harry's godfathers.

Rick ran his hands through his hair in agitation. What the hell was going on? Who was the boy and what the hell did he mean to Daryl? "Daryl, I don't want them wandering the prison," he yelled, already knowing that Daryl wasn't going to listen to him.

Daryl stormed past the group, ignoring their questioning looks. It wasn't their fucking business who Harry was and what he meant to him. He was taking Harry back to his cell and his bed where he could look after him in private. For some reason he felt like it was the right thing to do and he wasn't going to question it. He didn't even want his boy's godfathers there, but he needed answers.

Remus waited until Sirius entered the small cell behind Daryl and Harry then subtly flicked his wand, casting a silencing charm. He knew that there would he ease droppers, and right now it wasn't their business. They needed to explain everything to Daryl...everything.

Daryl stood awkwardly by his bed, not sure what to do. He needed to lay Harry down, but he was reluctant to let him go. Everything in him was screaming to not let go. Finally he sat down with his back against the wall and held Harry against him. "What is wrong with him? He didn't say anything about cancer when we met." Daryl never lifted his eyes from Harry's face, he couldn't believe that Harry was truly alive. He was afraid that it was a dream and his boy would disappear.

"First," Remus started. "Harry doesn't have cancer, but up until fifteen minutes ago, he was dying."

Daryl hugged Harry even tighter to his chest. He didn't even want to think about losing Harry again. There was no way after this that he could continue on without him. If Harry died right now in his arms, he would be joining him in death shortly after.

"Obviously with everything going on, you have gotten use to things being strange. Dead people walking around eating people isn't exactly normal," Sirius chuckled.

Daryl grunted, hoping that the two would just get the hell on with it. He wanted to know everything so he could kick them the hell and be alone with Harry. He also had to plan Merle's death...and it wasn't going to be fast.

"Do you believe in magic?" Sirius blurted.

Daryl finally tore his eyes off Harry's angelic face and looked up at the man he knew was Sirius. "Magic, do you mean like voodoo witch doctors? My mother believed in that shit, but she was a fucking crazy drunk."

"I'm not well versed in American magic, but your mother was right, magic is real." Remus said.

"Right," Daryl chuckled. "Get the fuck out!" he snapped.

Smirking, Sirius pulled out his wand, and with a quick flick, he enlarged the prison bed so Harry and Daryl would be more comfortable.

"What the fuck?" Daryl yelled, jumping off the bed with Harry still in his arms. How the hell did his piece of shit bed get two times bigger.

"Daryl, Harry is a wizard like Sirius and myself," Remus explained, pulling out his wand and conjuring two chairs so Sirius and himself could sit. He was physically and emotionally exhausted. Not thirty minutes ago he thought his pup was taking his last breath.

Daryl stared at the bed for a long time before reluctantly taking a seat back on it. He had never believed in magic, but then again, he had also never believed in zombies. It was kind of hard denying that magic was real when the proof was in his cell. "Are you human?"

Sirius snorted, but Remus smacked him on the arm. Technically only Harry was human now. A werewolf wasn't consider a full human after all. "We are human, the only difference between you and I, is that I have magic. I was born with it, like Harry. There are witches and wizards all over the world, but we keep ourselves hidden. The nonmagical community haven't always been kind to us, the Salem witch trials are a perfectly good example of what I'm talking about."

"Why can't you stop what the hell is going on?" Daryl growled angrily. If they had all that magic, why the hell were they sitting back and ignoring what was going on?

Remus shook his head. "What is going on is even happening to us. We are trying to find a solution, but so far nothing has worked. I don't know about here in America, but the European witches and wizards are doing everything in their power to save nonmagical people without exposing their magic. They have set up safe zones where they put up wards, something like an invisible forcefield, that keeps the zombies from getting in. They also send people out daily to kill the zombies and look for survivors. It is dangerous for us though because the zombies are attracted to us when we use our magic and swarm us very quickly."

Daryl looked back down at Harry. "Is he suffering from some magical sickness or something?" he asked, brushing his lips across his boy's.

Remus smiled, he was so glad that Harry would get to experience the love of a soul mate, there nothing else that could compare to it. "In a way, yes. See, it's very rare in our world, but some of us have souls mates." Remus smirked when Daryl's head shot up so fast that it snapped. "If we are separated for a long time from our soul mates before the bond has completed and settled, the bond will turn on that person, punishing them for losing their mate."

"Are you saying that I'm Harry's soul mate?" Daryl asked in disbelief. He should be horrified at the thought of being someone's soul mate, but he wasn't. To be honest, it made sense. What he felt for Harry went way beyond anything he had ever felt or heard of before.

"That's exactly what we're saying," Sirius said. "Since you left, he has been slowly dying because your bond wasn't complete after you...you...you..."

"Had sex," Remus finished, rolling his eyes at his flustered mate. "It typically takes a few months for the bond to completely settle, and in that time, you shouldn't be apart from each other for more than a few hours. Lift up his shirt."

"Fuck me!" Daryl gasped after doing as ordered. Gently he ran his fingers over the massive bruise covering the entirety of Harry's chest and most of his belly. He had never seen a bruise as nasty as that before.

Carefully shifting Harry, Daryl pulled down his T-shirt, just enough to show the gulf ball size bruise that he had above his heart. "This started a few days after separating from him and the ache and emptiness in my heart never went away."

"If you had been magical, the bond would have punished you as severely as it did Harry. Possibly even more so since you are the dominant in the mating." Remus explained. "If we wouldn't have found you when we did, Harry wouldn't have survived the night."

Daryl caressed his boy's cheek. "He has been looking for me all this time despite being in pain and suffering?"

Sirius sadly nodded his head. "It has been bad, but the last month was the worst with the seizures. We have been carrying him for weeks now because he could barely walk or keep his eyes open."

Daryl didn't wipe away the few tears that escaped his eyes. "My brother did this," he snarled viciously.

Both Sirius and Remus clenched their fists in anger. If they would have known that the guy they saw down by the gate was Merle, they would have ripped his throat out, audience or not. "He led Harry in the woods, and when he refused to leave you, he punched him until he passed out. He did hide Harry's unconscious body so the walkers wouldn't find him and left him with a bag if supplies, but we still plan to kill him." Sirius snarled.

Daryl glared at the man. "He's my brother and Harry is my mate, I'm the one that gets to fucking kill him." He would too, he couldn't believe that he beat up and knocked out his mate. He knew how hard Merle could hit having experienced it a few times himself. Harry was so small that he was lucky that Merle's punch didn't kill him.

"You're taking all this really well," Sirius chuckled.

"I have spent the last year running from dead people with an eating disorder, at this point, nothing will surprise me."

"Are you ok with being his dominant mate?" Remus asked seriously. "Harry is one of thee most powerful wizards alive, more so than both of us combined, but he would never use that power to hurt anyone, not even his despicable relatives. He has been abused since he was a baby, and all he wants is someone to love him...a family. He needs someone that will care for him, and protect him."

"Our pup has a way of getting into trouble," Sirius added, smiling fondly at his godson.

"Harry is mine," Daryl growled. "I will hurt anyone that even thinks about hurting him. Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

"His magical core is drained and needs to recharge. He was minutes from death, it's going to be a while before wakes." Remus explained.

"He's fine now, right?"

"As long as you don't leave him for more than a few hours for the next few months he will be," Sirius said warningly.

Daryl nodded his head. "I will never be separated from him again like this." Daryl looked up from admiring his mate. "Not to be rude, but can the two of you leave? I would like to alone with him." He had enough answers for now. He needed time to process everything and just be with Harry.

Remus and Sirius smiled knowingly, it had been the same with them. When they first mated, Dumbledore had to assign them their own room for a few months until the bond settled. "What do we do about your leader, he doesn't trust us? Remus asked.

Daryl moved like he was going to put Harry down, but then changed his mind. "If you get him, I'll talk to him."

Remus clenched Sirius' shoulder. "I'll get him." He knew that Sirius would want to spend a few more minutes with Harry. For the past year it had been the three of them together, even sleeping in the same bed. It was going to be weird not having Harry glued to them. Despite now having his mate, they were still going to stick close to Harry. Just because they found Daryl, didn't meant that they were out of danger. They wouldn't be safe until they were back home in the wizarding world. He had a feeling leaving wouldn't be all that easy. It seemed that Daryl was close to this group and they couldn't just portkey out leaving children behind...not when they could offer them a place to live, safe from the walkers.


End file.
